The Plan
by dancingprincess1093
Summary: The Goal: Get Kaname to confess to Yuuki. The Plan: Pretend to be Zero's girlfriend to get Kaname jealous The Repercussions: Fall in love with Zero! R & R !
1. The Confession Plan

**The Plan**

**AN: Hey everyone! I really hope you like this story. I'm excited 'cause it should be fun to write! So PLEASE reveiw and tell me what you think! Oh and thanks to everyone who read 'Teen of Mystery' and encouraged me to write this story :D. Sorry. One more thing. White day is celebrated in Japan on March 15th. It is the day when boys return their feelings to the girl who gave them chocolate on V Day. Okay. Now that all that's over with, let's begin! Thanks N' enjoy! ^ ^**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I would pair together Zero and Yuuki! Go Zeki Fans!**

**Chapter One**

**The Confession Plan**

Loud squeals of adoring fan girls were heard everywhere around me. I groaned slightly. It was that time of day again. Evening. When the night class students come out and head over to the classrooms to learn. It probably sounds a little strange that they learn at night, but it's not that strange if you know of their secret. The Night Class students are really a group of vampires. They were brought here because of the chairman's idea that we will be able to live in peace with them, side by side. The screams got louder as the door to the Moon dorm creaked opened. Standing behind it were the gorgeous perfect figures of the night class students.

"Get back!" I yelled in a frustrated voice, trying to make way so that the night students could at least get through without being pulverized. "Everyone move back!" Well, that wasn't necessary. The once screaming, mobbing girls were now arranged in to neat lines on either side of the walkway, staring silently with looking of absolute adoration on their faces.

The night class now strode between the two lines, some looking annoyed and some just impassive.

"Hello, ladies. How are you doing today?" came Aidou-senpai's voice from within the group.

"We're fine!" came the chorus of enthusiastic voices. He nodded happily, looking very self-satisfied.

"Idol is soooo cool!" squealed a girl from behind me.

"And look at Wild!" said the brown-haired girl beside her. "His orange hair!" She sighed passionately.

I peaked over at Kain-senpai. He was looking very annoyed, glaring at Aidou-senpai, who was relishing all the attention as usual.

"Hello, Yuuki," came a deep voice from beside me. I looked up and felt my face grow hot.

"K- Kaname-Senpai!" I stuttered.

He smiled warmly, staring directly at me. "Thank you for all your hard work."

"Uhhh... sure!" I said, feeling utterly stupid.

"Don't be so uptight," he said, moving towards me. "We've known each other for a very long time, have we not?" I felt my face grow hotter.

"Yes. It's just..." I paused, searching for what to say. "You're the one who saved my life, Kaname-senpai." I stared down at the floor. He caressed my cheek gently, leaving me no choice but to gaze into his beautiful eyes.

"Don't worry about that anymore," he said gently. "It was such a long time ago." Suddenly, I felt his hand get thrown off my cheek fiercely. I looked up, startled.

"Zero!" I said, surprised to see Kaname-senpai's arm encased in Zero's palm.

"Class is starting, Kuran-senpai," Zero said, almost snapping. Kaname slowly took his arm out of Zero's and headed over to the group of night class students waiting for him up ahead. The others were glaring at Zero angrily, defensive and angry over the way he had treated their dorm leader.

"Goodbye Yuuki," he said, as he walked away.

I stared after him, my heart hammering in my chest.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I burst out, "Zero! What was that for? What did he ever do to you?" I glared at him.

"I don't like him. I don't like any of those vampires but I hate him most of all," he said, clenching his fist. I sighed. It was always that way with Zero. His family was killed by an evil vampire so he believes all vampires are evil. I guess you can't blame him for thinking that way after what he went through. The family I never knew was probably killed by vampires too. But I can't be sure, so I have no reason to hate them. Especially since I was saved by one of them ten years ago.

"Let's go!" Zero said abruptly, pulling me by the arm. I looked down. If only he could realize that some vampires _are _evil, but Kaname-senpai was not one of them! I'm sure of it!

X X X X X X X

He was walking away. And the box was still in my pocket.

"K-Kaname-senpai!" I called after him. He stopped abruptly and turned to face me. He was smiling warmly. The group of night class students up ahead, paused in their tracks. They always waited for Kaname-senpai. I self-consciously looked around and felt the eyes of every girl there boring through me.

"Uhhhh..." I quickly strode over to him. "I made this chocolate for you for Valentine's Day. I- I hope it's good." I bowed quickly and moved back slightly. "Sorry if it's a bother." My face was toward the floor.

He lifted my chin so that I was looking straight at his perfect face. "Thank you," he said, his smile widening. He kneeled in front of me and gently kissed my hand. I felt my heart racing inside me.

"K-Kaname-Senpai!" I stuttered, my eyes widening.

"Yuuki!" My entire body shook vigorously. "YUUKI!"

The image of Kaname-Senpai kneeling in front me faded. I picked my head up groggily to see Yori standing in front me.

"Yori," I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Was I sleeping?" I got up and looked around. The classroom was empty.

Yori nodded. "You fell asleep during class. Luckily, it was towards the end of the lesson so Sensei didn't notice. Let's go."

I followed her towards the open doors of the classroom. "Being a prefect must be tiring," she commented. "You and Zero are always falling asleep during class."

I nodded silently. "Hey, Yori," I was barely aware of what was coming out of mouth. "How do you know if a guy returns your feelings when you give him Valentine's day chocolate?"

She cast me a suspicious look. "Is this about Kaname-Senpai?" she questioned. I remained silent so she continued. "Well, there is White Day." she said thoughtfully.

I slapped my forehead. Of course! How could I forget White Day?

"Wait," I stopped suddenly. Yori did the same, looking at me weirdly. My face contorted, deep in thought. "But how do you get a guy to _confess_ on White Day? Not just give you something in return."

Yori said nothing for a few seconds. "Well, they do say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach..." she said thoughfully.

I groaned. "Yori! I'm serious!"

Yori stared at me, then said. "Get him jealous."

"What?" I said incredulously.

"Get him jealous," she repeated firmly. "Pretend you have another boyfriend - take Zero for example - and he's bound to confess to you before you know it. He wouldn't want to lose to the another guy!"

My face lit up as I gave Yori a quick hug. "Oh, Yori! You're a genius!" I pulled away. "Thank you so much!" I quickly waved and made my way towards the Moon Dorm gates, leaving Yori staring after me in obvious wonder.

X X X X X X

I poured the chocolate batter into the flat pan and placed it into the oven.

"There," I wiped the forehead of the sweat. Who knew that making chocolate could be so exhausting? I sat down on a nearby chair and waited for the baking to finish . Most girls buy their Valentine's Day chocolate. Especially the rich girls at our school. Sometimes I think they can afford anything. Anyway, I decided to bake mine this year. I wanted them to be special for Kaname-senpai.

Suddenly, I heard light footsteps down the hall. I gave a quick glance at my watch. 12:30. Who could be down here at this time? A tall silvery haired boy groggily entered the room.

"Zero!" I said clearly surprised.

"I heard someone down here so I came to investigate." He yawned. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

I pointed at the oven, which by now was emitting the smell of good chocolate. Could they be coming out good this time? I've never been much of a cook so it'd be a miracle if they actually taste normal. "I'm making chocolate," I said. "I am a girl you know. It's Valentine's Day tomorrow."

Zero's face became even moodier. "I hate it," he muttered. "So many annoying girls yelling 'kya, kya, kya' over those rotten vampires. W'd do better without it if you ask me." He glanced over at the oven. "And I suppose those are for Kuran-senpai," he said bitterly.

I reddened slightly but said nothing.

"Figures," he said in an undertone as he turned to leave.

"Wait, Zero," I called after him. He stopped without turning.

"You're really good at baking and cooking. Could you help me with these chocolates?"

He turned and sat in the chair beside me without a word. After a few minutes of silence, I broke the ice.

"Zero?..." I began hesitantly. He looked at me, still slightly annoyed. "Uhh... Never mind" I said pretending to be overly curious in my fingernails. Now was not the time to ask him if he was willing to be involved in my plan.

He turned his head away and scowled as he looked towards the almost-ready chocolates.

"What did they those chocolates ever do to you?" I accused. "Why are you scowling at them so much?"

He sat in silence. I sighed, realizing for the hundredth time that penetrating Zero's invisible fortress was almost impossible.

The sweet chocolaty smell was getting stronger. I got up and made my way towards the oven. "They should be ready," I said happily, putting on an oven mitt and taking out the pan. I laid the tray down on the counter and went to the drawer to fetch a knife. I took the sharp metal blade by the plastic handle and began cutting the hardened chocolate.

Well, let me just say that for the record I'm not exactly the best cutter. The supposed-squares were coming out like oddly-shaped rectangles.

"Well, at least it looks like it'll taste good!" I said optimistically. Zero just scowled at them but said nothing nor did anything to help. He's not really mean; that's just his personality.

"Owww!" I raised my finger to see thick red blood flowing down my index finger. "I cut myself," I said aloud.

I looked towards Zero for asssitance. His body started shaking heavily.

"Zero," I said worriedly, forgetting my cut finger. "Are you okay?" I placed my other hand on his arm.

He threw it off me angrily. "Go wash off the blood!" He said fiercely.

"But-"

"Go wash it off!" He roared. I cast him a quick worried glance then hurried over to the sink. I twisted the faucet and ran the cut over with cold water. As soon as it was clean and covered with a bandage, I made my way back to Zero. He was crouched on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Zero!" I threw myself onto the ground next to him. "Are you okay?" I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Zero!"

He glanced up at me suddenly, his face now calm. It was clear that he was trying to maintain his composure. "I'm fine, Yuuki." he smiled softly.

I sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I was worried," I smiled as I got up made my way towards the chocolate filled pan. But of course, I knew Zero was not fine. Someone was very wrong and I had to find out what.

X X X X X

AN: Thanks for reading! PLEASE review so I can see if ppl are interested! Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Valentine's Day

**Chapter Two:**

**AN: Hi! Thanks a lot to all those who reviewed! You made me so happy :DDD Big hugs to ....**_xStarryEyedGirlx, jessie, Kunai Arashi Seishin, Jemma, maytoaugust , Ruetamagnikcuf , MizukiMai, _**and **_Aslickain Kiant_ . **You guys are the best ^ ^ ! Please keep reviewing everyone! Thanks 'N Enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I would pair together Zero and Yuuki! Go Zeki Fans!**  


**Valentine's Day**

"Everyone move back!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "The night class will not pass until you all line up behind the gates!"

Well, that did the trick! The walkway was now clear, leaving lots of room for the night class students to pass through - and for me to give Kaname-senpai my chocolate. That is, if I find the courage.

Aidou skipped along towards his post and started accepting the probably hundreds of chocolates, he would end up getting.

"Aidou-senpai!" I called, trying to stop him. He didn't seem to hear me. He was already taking the front girl in line's chocolate happily. She bowed deeply and hurried off.

"Aidou..." Kaname-senpai began warningly. Aidou-senpai turned back abruptly. "Yes, Kaname-sama. I apologize." He rushed off to take his usual place beside Kain-senpai.

I never understood why they all call him, 'Kaname-sama'. Is he on a higher level or something? Even if he is their dorm head, they don't call Ichijou, Ichijou-sama. They treat him differently; with much more respect.

I bowed. "Thank you, Kaname-senpai." I ran off happily and took my place at the beginning of the walkway.

"Okay!" I began enthusiastically, facing the night class. "It's time for Valentine's Day to officially begin. The girls are all serious about this so please consider their feelings. Now, let's begin." I gave a loud blow to my whistle.

Kaname-senpai led the way, the night class students following close behind. It was funny to notice the different expression on each of their faces. Ichijou was looking particularly cheerful as he stopped by his gate. Shiki and Rima, who were standing beside him, were looking quite annoyed. Not surprising. They typically react the same way in most situations.

As Kain and Aidou walked by, the girls erupted in squeals louder than before. "Wild! Idol!" Yeah, don't ask me where they come up with these nicknames. Kain kept glancing at Ruka, while trying not to stare. If I'm not mistaken, he seems to like her. Only problem is that Ruka likes Kaname-senpai. I guess you could say Ruka and I are love rivals. It sure seems like it the way she glares at me every time I pass. Anyway, Aidou, belongs to a different class entirely. He was absolutely ecstatic as he ran off to continue to fill his hands with chocolate boxes.

I couldn't help but stare as Kaname-senpai stopped by his gate and smiled slightly at the girls behind it.

"Please accept this, Kuran-senpai!" The dark-haired girl said happily. He took and offered his thanks, while she made way for the other girls in line. By the time, the line was about a quarter way done, his hands were already completely full.

"I'm sorry," he smiled apologetically at the girl who was next in line. "My hands are full so I can't accept it."

She bowed deeply. "N-No! I'm sorry." Kaname walked on towards the group of night class students standing up ahead. Of course, Aidou-senpai was still finding a way to accept more chocolates, even thought it was quite obvious that his hands were way past full.

I felt the weight of the chocolate in my pocket as I watched Kaname-senpai walk away. His hands were already full and I didn't get a chance to give him my chocolate. I had to give it to him or my plan would never work. Without my Valentine's Day chocolate, he could not return my feelings on White Day.

I hesitantly stopped up and called, "K-Kaname-senpai!" He stopped and turned around.

"Yes, Yuuki?" he smiled.

"Uhhhh.... I lowered my head shyly and hurried up to him. "I made this for you. I hope it's good." I bent my face as it grew red hot. "You don't have to take it if you can't hold any more chocolates." I looked down in embarrassment.

"That's alright," he smiled even wider. "Seiren, will you hold these chocolates for me?"

"Of course, Kaname-sama," she said respectfully, as she took the other boxes from his hands.

My heart was racing as his hand touched mine. I handed him the chocolate and smiled shyly.

"I'm so happy." He softly caressed my cheek. I hope he doesn't hear my heart beating at top speed, I thought to myself. "Thank you, Yuuki"

He turned and continued waling towards the classrooms. I smiled contentedly. The plan was underway. And if Kaname-senpai liked me at all, it was bound to succeed. I just had to get Zero to agree first. And that could not be easy. Trust me.

X X X X X

I strode down the hall towards Zero's room, as nervous as ever. He's sure to make a snide comment when I tell him about my plan. I turned the corner and stood at the threshhold of Zero's room. Taking a deep breath, I gave a slow, careful knock. No reply came forth.

"Zero?" I hesitated before slowly turning the knob. I peaked in and saw Zero sitting on the bed moanfully. What's wrong with him? I thought to myself. I walked in carefully and called him again. "Zero, are you okay?"

He looked up at me. "How about waiting for an answer when you knock?" He said, tiredly. His voice, though, didn't really sound annoyed.

I sat beside him on the bed, the covers creasing under me. "Sorry," I smiled apologetically. "You didn't answer so I thought it was okay to just walk in. Anyway," I rummaged through my pocket. "Here it is! I made you chocolate." I shoved the small brown square into his hand. "It should me good." I smiled brightly.

He stared at the small chocolate but remained silent. Well, it was now or never!

"Uhhh... Zero, I have a favor to ask of you." I looked up at him expectantly. His face remained as difficult to read as ever. "You see, Yori helped me make this plan." I paused. "And I was wondering if you could help me." He looked up, which I took as a sign to continue. "I need to see if...uuuhh...I need to see why Kaname-senpai treats me so specially. Yori said getting him jealous might get him to reveal some things to me." Yeah, things like confessions. "So if you agree to be my... my pretend boyfriend, it would help me find out about my past. It's only pretend, of course," I said quickly. Oh boy, I was sounding like a real baka right now!

Zero looked annoyed. "Was that chocolate just a bribe?" he asked flatly.

"No, no! Of course not!" I said hurriedly. "That was your Valentine's Day present. I just wanted to ask you now since I was here anyway."

"If you ask me," he said, "it seems that you want him to confess, not reveal your past."

I reddened. Why did Zero have to be so intuitive? "No, no. Of course not. Really!"

"Fine." He said in a snappy voice. "I'll help you. But only because I hate Kuran. I'd like to get him jealous."

I laughed. He looked up at me curiously. "You always act like everything is for your own gain." I said, "But I know that you are a good person. You're just afraid to admit it. But thank you anyway!' I said happily.

Zero's eyes widened as I smiled softly at him. "Well, I'll be going now. Bye." I got up from the bed and headed towards the door. Well, that was easier than I thought!

X X X X X X

**Next Chapter: The Vampire's Secret - Look forward to it!**

**AN: Sorry if it's a bit short but hope you enjoyed the chap anyway! Please review! The more reveiws the faster I update. Oh and something happened to me that I'm just dying to post so read this story if your interested! It's on my profile too:**

**Okay, so listen I have the funniest story to tell. One day in middle of a really long and boring Math Period, I was spacing out, as usual. And guess what I was dreaming of? Anime, course! I was thinking of a some way for Hino Matsuri (VK mangaka) to bring Zero and Yuuki together once and for all! For around ten minutes, I was dreaming up all kinds of crazy schemes, not having a single clue of what was happening in class. Then to my luck, my teacher called on me and asked me for the answer. Of course, I had no idea that we were supposed to be doing an example, let alone know the answer to it. So I answered the first number that came to my mind- and what do you think that was? ZERO! The next thing I knew, my teacher was praising me to the skies for getting the right answer to a very complicated example. Turned out no one else got the right answer. My best friend, who sits near me, asked me how I got the right answer since I normally suck at math and I wasn't even doing the example in the first place. I winked at her and whispered. "Vampire Knight!" We both started laughing our butts off! (We're both Zeki fans!) but luckily my teacher was so happy with me that she didn't even yell at me! Now, how cool is that? :D This story is totally true! Hard to believe right? But it is!**

**Anyway, Hope you enjoyed my short side story! please review! **


	3. The Vampire's Secret

**Chapter Three:**

**AN: Hey! Let's throw out my hugs.... **_DofD, kira-diabolical-box, XMusicIsWhyILiveX, Haleighrocks236, Aslickain Kiant, Laury-KOS, Ruetamagnikcuf, Guro-chan, XxSakura-HimexX, Jemma, Maytoaugust!_** You guys are totally the best! Every single one of you! Keep reviewing pls. The more reviews the faster I want to update! Thanks 'N Enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I would pair together Zero and Yuuki! Go Zeki Fans!**  


** The Vampire's Secret**

It was perfect. He was passing and they were talking. I watched eagarly as Kaname-senpai walked by. He seemed to be walking slowly, intent on hearing what the girls were saying.

I smiled contentedly. The moment I've been waiting for was finally here! And it was working out perfectly. It was as if I had told them to talk about it at this moment ; like the girls knew and they were part of the plan. It was probably the first time I was so thankful to those girls for talking so much!

"Did you hear about the prefects?" one of the girls said energetically, casting me a quick glance. I pretended not to notice them talking so they would continue their conversation.

"Who would've believed? Cross-san and Kiryuu-kun!"

"Well, they _did_ grow up together," another said in a matter-of-fact tone. "They've been pretty much best friends for almost four years; since the chairman adopted him at least."

"Yeah, I guess opposites attract. Cross-san is usually cheery and energetic, while Kiryuu-kun keeps to himself most of the time."

"But who would have thought he would be her boyfriend? It's just outrageous!"

The group laughed. I felt resentment well up inside me. What was so wrong with Zero anyway? Sure, he keeps to himself and doesn't like to make friends, but no need to make fun when he _does_ get a girlfriend! Or a pretend girlfriend in this case. And you can't deny that Zero _is _good-looking!

I turned to look towards Kaname-senpai. His posture was stiff, his eyes narrowed, and his lips frowning just slightly.

I tried to smile casually as he walked by. "Hello, Kaname-senpai."

His frown disappeared, though his eyes still reflected signs of annoyance. "Hello, Yuuki," his smile was tight, "Kiryuu-kun."

I turned in surprise to see Zero standing beside me. His expression was similar to that of Kaname-senpai just seconds ago.

"I don't know if you heard," Zero began kurtly, "but Yuuki is now my girlfriend so you can kindly keep your hands off her."

Kaname-senpai ignored the last comment. "I hope you're doing okay, Kiryuu-kun. The process must be very difficult."

Zero's eyes widened, his fist clentched, and his face contorted with anger. It was obvious that he was trying to control his emotions, though he wasn't doing such a good job. Unlike most of the time.

Kaname-senpai turned on his feet and slowly made his way away from Zero and I.

I turned abruptly to look directly at Zero and barraged him with questions. "What is he talking about? Why woudn't you be doing alright? Process of what? Zero, what's going on?"

Zero turned away and without a word headed back to the dorm.

X X X X X

**_One week later:_**

I sat down on the bed, my body shaking thoroughly. Zero's a vampire? No way. So the legend that humans bitten by purebloods become vampires themselves is true?

But Zero's a vampire hunter. Is it even possible to be a born-hunter and a vampire at the same time? How long has he been hiding this from me?

I rested my head deep into my palms. My head was spinning with questions and confusion, as the memories flooded back.

FLASHBACK:

I stood at the entrance of the bathroom door and slowly pushed it open. I made my way towards the counter and unbuttoned my shirt. As I placed the shirt onto the counter, I heard a voice from behind me.

"I'm in here you know."

I turned abruptly and was startled to see Zero sitting unconspicously on the tiled floor.

"Pervert!" I yelled in horror. Luckily, I still had my undershirt on. "Why couldn't you tell me _before_ I took off my shirt?"

"Well, most people would notice if there was a boy in the bathroom." he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Why are you sitting on the bathroom floor anyway?" I asked curiously, as I kneeled down at him.

"Why don't you just leave?" he said tiredly, running his hand through his silvery-white hair.

I stormed up in frustration. "Fine! I'll leave right now!" I picked up my shirt and tossed it onto my back. Zero can be a real idiot sometimes.

As I headed towards the door, I felt something grab my hand. I cast a glance back, curiously. Zero began breathing heavily. This was just like the night before Valentine's Day! What was happening?

All my annoyance disappeared immediately. "Zero!" I sat beside him and put my arm on his shoulder worriedly. "Are you okay? Tell me, Zero!

His body was shaking and he was drawing deep breaths. He pulled me close in a deep hug. He moved his toungue slowly across my neck.

"Z-Zero!" I stuttered. What in the world was he doing?

I heard a sharp piercing sound and felt a intense pain in my neck. Blood was being drawn from inside me.

I tried hard to resist but couldn't find the strength. He finally drew away, looking straight into my eyes. His eyes were bloodshot red and blood was dripping from his now-petruding sharp teeth. Blood. That was all I could think about. At that moment, I felt a feeling rise inside me which I knew very well. Fear.

END OF FLASHBACK  
X X X X X

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. Sorry it's short. The next chapter will be longer to make up! From now on the parts will change a bit from the manga story line because it's a different plot. Same parts but different dialouge. It sounds a bit confusing, but you'll see what I mean soon! But it'll be better! Anyway, pls review! **

**Next Chapter: The Night Party.**


	4. The Night Party

**Chapter Four**

**AN: Hi! Let's throw out my hugs.... **_anonymous, JaneAustenLover, jestie, Ruetamagnikcuf, XMusicIsWhyILiveX, XxSakura-HimexX, Laury-KOS, Miss Yuuki Kiryuu, yasnky, Mina-chan, teB360, xscreamyourself, Aslickain Kiant_** ! It makes me so happy to get reviews that ppl are enjoying my story! :DDD Thanks again! Keep reviewing and enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I would shout it out loud to the world. I Invented VK! But Unfortunately for me, I don't. **

**The Night Party **

I carefully climbed the last stair and looked up at the large, ominous building. The Moon Dorm always did scary me a bit. It had an aura of mystery and danger. Nervously, I pushed open the tall, brass doors.

The door creaked loudly as I stepped inside. Aidou-senpai had asked to see me, and from the way he had spoken, it was clear I didn't really have a choice. I looked around the large room. It was empty.

Glancing at my watch, I realized that they were probably all up in their rooms sleeping. But Aidou should come out soon. After all, we had planed to meet at exactly 4:30 in the afternoon.

A yawn resounded from the hall as a tired-looking Aidou stepped out into the room. He stretched his arms above his head and plopped down onto the couch opposite me.

"Hello Yuuki-san," He yawned again. "Please excuse my clothing. I overslept." I peered down at his light blue striped pajamas but said nothing.

"What did I need to talk to you about?" He rubbed his head, as if deep in thought. I groaned inwardly. It had taken a lot of lies and excuses to get here without any suspicion and he didn't even remember what he needed!

"Aaah..." he looked up, his face enlightened. "I remember." He leaned in towards me. "But first I need to ask you something."

I leaned back slightly. His posture was becoming dangerous and I knew that if Kaname-senpai wasn't here, he wouldn't hesitate to bite me.

"Yuuki!" His eyes flashed with anger. "Why are you so special to Kaname-sama?" he grabbed my arms fiercely. "Tell me!"

I tried to release myself from his tight grip. Realizing that this was impossible, I tried to relax my body a bit. His eyes were a stormy midnight blue, darker and angrier than usual.

"For the past few days," he continued angrily, his eyes narrowing. "Kaname-sama has locked himself in his room, refusing to let anyone in. When I asked him what was wrong he just said that he was no longer the one most special to you. That he had been replaced with someone else." Aidou-senpai shook my entire body vigorously. "Why did you leave Kaname-sama? Tell me!"

I look down shamefully. It seemed that my plan was working a bit too well. I never wanted to hurt Kaname-senpai. I just wanted to get him jealous so that we could be together. I guess I never thought that a bit of hurt always comes with jealousy.

Aidou-senpai released his grip on me and leaned back against the couch. "I'm waiting for an answer." He said impatiently.

"N-Nothing happened between Kaname-senpai and me." I stuttered nervously.

He leaned up abruptly and grabbed my arms again, this time huge blocks of ice forming, freezing my hand in spot. I went numb with fear.

"Why are so special to Kaname-sama?" He was almost shouting. "Why?"

I looked up defiantly. "Kaname-senpai saved my life ten years ago from a blood-hungry vampire. He saved me!"

Aidou-senpai's hands were now shaking with rage. Who knew he would get so angry all for Kaname-senpai's sake? "He must's saved a hundred humans. Why did he choose you to care for? And why did you leave him if he saved you?"

I stared down at my feet. What would I answer? I always thought that Kaname-senpai had some connection to my past. I asked him numerous times when I was younger but he refused to reveal anything about my past or his.

I looked up at Aidou-senpai. His face was looking annoyed and impatient.

"Uhhh...Well..." I was at a loss for words.

"Hanabusa, control yourself," a deep voice came from the direction of the stairs. We glanced to the side. Kain-senpai was walking impassively toward us, already fully dressed in his uniform. "You don't want Kaname-sama to hear, do you?" He stopped beside us and took his place beside Kain-senpai.

Aidou-senpai's face seemed to grow more annoyed but he remained silent.

"Hanabusa, did you do as Kaname-sama had requested?" he questioned.

Aidou lowered his face in obvious shame. He had obviously called me here for some other reason than to attack me with questions. In his anger, it had probably slipped his mind.

"Right... Uhhh... Yuuki," he pretended to forget the conversation that had taken place just moments ago. Kain leaned back against the couch and waited expectantly as Aidou spoke.

"Ichijou is having a birthday party tonight and Kaname-sama had requested of him that you be allowed to attend. Of course, Ichijou agreed. So Kaname-sama has asked me to tell you. I was glad to do it since I had some questions to ask you anyway." His tone rose again dangerously.

"Hanabusa..." Kain-senpai began warningly.

Aidou-senpai clenched his fist in annoyance and stopped talking. Kain-senpai looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

I nodded weakly. "Umm... Sure... But won't it be a bit awkward for a human to attend a vampire banquet?"

"Kaname-sama had promised that no harm will come to you while at that party. But he requested that you come alone." Kain-senpai continued

I felt my heart pick up speed. Was Kaname-senpai going to confess to me? And so soon after Valentine's Day?

"Sure, I'll come," I nodded. Once I saw, they had nothing else to add, I got up and nervously walked towards the door.

I cast back a half-hearted smile but got none in return. I carefully opened the large, heavy doors and gladly stepped out of the ominous building.

X X X X X X

Night descended upon Cross Academy. I stood by the wide window, staring out at the festivities over by the Moon Dorm.

From what could be seen from way up here, the party was well underway. I gave a soft knock on the door in front of me.

For a few moments, there was silence. Finally, I heard footsteps from the other side. The door slowly opened and Zero stood there, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his muscular shape. (**AN: Sorry. I try not to interrupt but I couldn't resist adding that last part in. Sooooo hawt!) **I blushed, despite myself.

"Hi, Zero!" I said cheerfully. His face remained emotionless. I smiled up at him. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

He stared at me, his face emotionless. "Could you come with me to the night class? There's a party over there and I don't really want to go myself."

His eyebrows rose a bit. "Why do you want to be near those vampires?"

"Please?" I smiled weakly, trying to ignore his remark. "You can leave whenever you'd like."

He sighed and turned back abruptly. I watched as he buttoned his shirt and picked up his uniform jacket from the bed.

I smiled brightly. "Thank you so much Zero!"

As we made our way down the stairs and out into the night, I felt myself growing more and more nervous. What did Kaname-senpai want from me? Why did he invite me to the party insisting that I come alone? My heart quickened considerably. And what would he say when he saw that I had brought Zero along?

Zero and I turned the corner and walked down the alleyway toward the night dorm. My nerves were on edge. As we walked, I edged nearer and nearer to Zero, fearing something would suddenly emerge from the shadows. Not realizing it, I had bumped into him.

He looked at me expectantly. "Sorry," I mumbled. "It was an accident." He nodded slowly and picked his head up to look straight ahead.

A rustle was heard from between the trees. Zero seemed not to notice. "That smell is growing stronger," he muttered as we continued walking.

I glanced towards the trees. There was another sound, something hiding in the darkness. Apparently, this time Zero had picked up on the noise. He immediately unleashed his bloody rose and looked around.

"Show yourself, vampires," he spat. Aidou and Kain emerged from the darkness and stared at Zero in obvious disgust.

"Can you put down the weapon?" Aidou said, gritting his teeth. "Kaname-sama has asked us to guide you from here, onward." Zero hesitated for a moment, then dropped the gun to his side unwillingly.

"Come this way, Yuuki-san," Aidou-senpai gestured me to follow them. "Kaname-sama would like to see you."

I nodded, pulling on Zero's sleeve. "Let's go." I whispered. We followed Aidou-senpai and Kain-senpai down the path. The sides of the walkway were lit with flaming torches. We stopped as we neared the center of activity.

Looking around, I noticed the vampire students, most of which I didn't know, grouped around the scattered tables. Kaname-senpai was not among them. It didn't seem like he was at the party at all.

"Yuuki!" A loud, cheerful voice called. "I'm so glad you came! Won't you wish me a happy birthday?" Ichijou was coming toward us, his arms outstretched in welcoming.

"Uuuhhh... Sure... Happy Birthday." I answered. He sure doesn't act like a vampire.

"Thank you. Thank you." He answered, grinning from ear to ear. "Now, Kaname-sama would you to talk to you." He pointed at a large, elevated patio. Kaname-senpai stood at the edge, smiling softly at me.

"Kaname-senpai!" I said in surprise

"Come here, Yuuki," he gestured me to come to him. I could feel every pair of eyes at the party focused on me.

My stomach lurched self-consciously as I climbed the stairs onto the porch. "Yuuki, come sit near me." Kaname-senpai sat down on the long chair.

I stopped abruptly. "Uuuhhh... It's fine."

"Yuuki..." He made it clear that I didn't really have a choice. I sat down immediately onto the chair, placing a bit of space between Kaname-senpai and myself.

He pulled me near him in a sort of hug. The blood rushed to my face. "Next to me is the safest place." He said.

After a few seconds, he released me slightly, but pulled me to sit nearer to him.

"I had asked you not to bring anyone along." He said, clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. " I was - I was scared... I didn't want to come alone." I looked down at the floor. "I know that you had promised that nothing would harm me. But..." I paused. "What if someone didn't listen to your orders? What if..." I trailed off.

"That will never happen," a voice interrupted. I looked up. Aidou-senpai was looking straight at me. "Kaname-sama is a pureblood. As Nobles, we will never disobey him."

I looked up at Kaname-senpai, fear slowly entering my heart. "Pureblood?" I whispered. Purebloods were the ones who killed Zero's entire family and were known to be the most feared among vampires. Was that why the night class students revered him so, using the suffix 'sama'? I tried to conceal my fear so that Kaname-senpai would not notice.

He smiled softly, with a tinge of sadness. "It seems that this is for first time here that, Yuuki." My hands were starting to shake. "Are you frightened?"

I looked down. "A little... I mean..." I was at a loss for words. The distant sound of footsteps was getting nearer. Zero came up the steps, and took his place on my other side and held my hand tightly.

I felt my hands widen. as I glanced over at him. It was a rare sight. Very rare.

"Z-Zero!" I said, startled. He was smiling warmly.

"You said you were scared, right? So I'm holding your hand. That's what lovers do, right?"

My hands stopped shaking. I stared deep into his violet eyes. They had a comforting glint in them. Whispers broke me from my trance.

"How dare that hunter think he could sit on the same chair as Kaname-sama?" Aidou spat, so that everyone there heard his words very clearly. I glanced toward Kaname-senpai. His eyes were focused on Zero, flashing dangerously.

"Yuuki," Kaname-senpai said, clearly trying to disguise his annoyance. "I have been informed of something which I will not believe until I confirm it with you."

"W-What?" I stuttered, afraid to hear his next words.

"I have heard you have made Kiryuu-kun your lover. Is that true?" It was like he was pretending Zero wasn't even there.

"Uuhhh...No... I mean..." I thought quickly. I had to keep pretending or my plan would never work! I smiled brightly. "Yeah, he is!"

Kaname-senpai looked down, saying nothing. Aghast whispers were heard from every corner..

Aidou was whispering to Kain angrily, while glaring in Zero's direction. Ichijou and the rest looked shell-struck. Ruka had a tinge of a satisfied smile.

Kaname-senpai got up and walked toward the edge of the porch. "I'll be seeing you Yuuki. I hope you will be happy." He turned and slowly walked down the steps.

He moved toward the side and seemed to be purposely bumping into the railing. He scratched his forearm against a petruding piece of wood. Blood flowed from the bruise, dripping onto the floor.

He turned back abruptly and said, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Kiryuu-kun." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. He turned around and headed straight down the steps and out of the party.

X X X X X

**AN: That was extra long to make up for the last chapter. I love this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it too! Please review! Oooh... Yuuki starting to fall for Zero!**

**Next Chapter: Bitten and Collapse**


	5. Bitten and Collapse

**Chapter Five**

**AN: Hey! Sooooo sorry that it's late. School has beed piling us with work. But Anyway, hugs. to..... **_DofD, This iz Pointless, jestie kiryuu, XxSakura-HimexX, jaceni, Ebony-Miracles, Aslickain Kiant, zeki 4ev3r, YamaChii_** ! And thanks to my new beta reader, **_This iz Pointless_**! You're the best beta EVER! Everyone else, keep reviewing and enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I would shout it out loud to the world. I Invented VK! But Unfortunately for me, I don't.**

**Bitten and Collapse**

Every pair of eyes at the party was staring in my direction. I felt all the blood in my body rush to my face. I knew I had just done something horrible to Kaname-senpai. Why couldn't I have just waited for him to tell me how he felt on his own? Why did I always feel a need to hurry everything?

I stared at the small puddle of blood, lying on the floor. Zero's hand, still wrapped in mine, was shaking vigorously. I glanced worriedly at him. His eyes were widened and his face was struggling in obvious pain. He was trying his very hard to control himself. I felt a rush of pity envelop me, sincerely wishing I could help him in any way possible.

"Let's go," he gritted his teeth, releasing his hand from mine, and pulling me up from the chair. As he hurried past the vampires, dragging me behind him, I felt someone grab my arm suddenly. I stopped and turned around, startled. Aidou-senpai had gripped my hand fiercely with a smirk on his face.

"Yuuki-chan, may I talk to you for a moment? We can dance meanwhile." He cast a smug look at Zero. There was dead silence surrounding us. I felt the cold, icy eyes of every vampire at the party bore through me. The atmosphere was growing more frigid and tense with each passing second.

"Umm... I..." I stuttered, unable to think of anything to say. Zero grabbed me and pulled my hand angrily, not giving me the chance to answer. His face, still looking tortured, was filled with impatience and fury.

My heart ached for Zero. What kind of pain was he going through, surrounded by the sight and smell of blood? Not to mention the fact that the vampires he hates with all his being, are surrounding him from every side.

As we walked out of the party, Zero led me down the path, away from the others. As we walked, I stared around at the small candles lighting up the path, realizing that I had barely noticed them on my way here. Those candles were the only source of light. We were closed in by the tall, ominous trees closing us in and darkening the path. As soon as we were out of sight of the others, Zero broke into a run. As he dashed ahead, he removed his coat, nearly tripping over his own feet, and dumped it onto the floor.

"Wait!" I made off after him, as fast as my body could carry me, trying to reach him. I stumbled over his coat, and fell over in pain. I got up quickly, rubbing my leg painfully. I grabbed his coat, slung it over my shoulder, and continued chasing after him. I had to save Zero, no matter what. The scent of blood had surely ignited his vampire senses and bought them out into the open.

As I continued running, I felt slightly guilty. I had hurt Kaname-senpai deeply and it was sort of_ intentional_. By trying to make him jealous, I had done something horrible, and all for this stupid plan of mine. I shook my head fiercely._ Now's the time to save Zero! _I told myself forcefully,_ you'll apologize to Kaname-senpai later! _I picked up speed, still limping slightly from my previous fall. Zero turned and ran into the garden, before collapsing on the ground in agony.

"Zero!" I called again, nearly falling into the pool situated in the center of the garden.

He was coughing heavily, bending over in pain. I hurried to his side and kneeled beside him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

He grabbed me suddenly and pulled me into a hug. "Yuu...ki..." He stuttered. Slowly, he moved his tongue slowly up my neck. I felt a shiver rush through me. Before I could stop him, he pierced his fangs into my neck and began sucking out the blood from inside me. I felt dizziness rise to my head. He continued quenching his thirst without restraint.

Despite myself, I felt my heart fill with pity for him. What was he going through, always keeping his pain to himself? Why weren't the blood tablets working? Was he always starving like this?

The idea of being fed upon didn't appeal to me too much, quite obviously. But I just ignored the thoughts coming to my mind, telling me to push Zero away. _No!_ I told myself strongly. _Zero needs your help. He's willing to help you when you're in trouble, even if he will hurt himself in the process. Now it's your turn to return the favor. The only way to help him now is by restraining the Level E monster that is rising from within him. And the only way to do that is by giving him your blood. _

Zero pulled away, his mouth dripping with the thick, red liquid. His eyes were a starving scarlet-red. I felt the spinning sensation strengthen, as I started falling to the ground.

"Zero..." I whispered. Before I hit the ground, everything went black.

X X X X X

My eyes fluttered and slowly opened. I looked around in confusion. I was moving forward through mid-air, towards the dorm room. I glanced upwards. Zero was carrying me in his arms, a mournful and guilty-looking expression on his face.

"Z-Zero," I said weakly.

He looked down at me, his violet-colored eyes filled with sadness. "I am sorry. I am so sorry."

It took me a moment to place what had just happened. He was surely feeling an overwhelming guilt over what he did. I felt like punching myself for being such a weakling. The very fact that I had fainted was sure to cause him even more pain. Oh, what was I doing to him?

I smiled sightly, trying to comfort him. Zero frowned and stopped in front of the wooden door. He kicked it open, having no free hands, and stepped inside. He quickly walked over to the couch and laid me there.

"Get some rest," he said, taking off his coat and placing it over me. I smiled warmly.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He broke into a slight, sad smile. "Goodbye, Yuuki." He clutched my hands tightly for a moment and turned and made his way out of the room.

I tossed his coat off suddenly. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Why had Zero said 'goodbye'? He never spoke unless it was necessary, and he certainly did not just say petty greetings or salutations. Something was very wrong with the way Zero had just acted.

I hurried towards the door and threw it open. Ignoring the dizziness rising in my head again, I tore down the hall. Panic filled up inside me. What was Zero going to do?

Suddenly, I bumped into something hard, stopping me abruptly. I looked up curiously.

"K-Kaname-senpai!" I stuttered in surprise.

He smiled softly at me. "Hello, Yuuki," he greeted. "Where are you heading to?"

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "Zero is in trouble and I must help him. I'm sorry." And with that I ran past him, not wanting to summon the courage to hear his response. I felt his eyes bore through me as I flew down the hall.

"Yuuki..." I heard him say from afar in a grieving tone.

I turned the corner, my palms sweating heavily and hurried over towards Zero's room. I slammed open the door and stared into the simply-furnished room.

Zero was sitting on the floor beside his bed, looking down at his lap. In his left hand was a small picture I had given him upon our entry to high school. On it, I had written, "We're finally in High School together!"

In his other hand, he was holding the Bloody Rose, aiming it toward his chest.

I rushed to his side and cried in panic, "No, Zero! Don't do it!" He looked up at me as I pushed the Bloody Rose away from him. "Don't!" I buried my head in his chest, worry clear on my face. "Why are you going to kill yourself?"

"Yuuki..." He whispered, gently placing his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry..." I gazed up at him, his expression sad and slightly bitter. "You'd do better without me," he said, staring at the floor. "The only thing I do is hurt you repeatedly."

I shook my head emphatically. "That's not true!" I said desperately, tightening my grip on his shirt. "You're my friend, Zero!"

Zero brought the gun back up to his heart. "You only need me for that stupid plan of yours," he said bitterly. "But don't worry. Once I die, Kaname is sure to confess to you immediately."

I shoved the gun away from him fiercely and threw it across the room. "Stop talking like that!" I cried, a tear forming in my eye. "You're a very dear friend to me. If you committed suicide…" I gulped, hardly believing the words I spoke—that Zero had actually dreamed of killing himself. "If you did that because you felt guilty, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Zero stared down at his lap for a few seconds, then he slowly reached again for the gun. My heart dropped into my stomach. Did he really feel _that _guilty?

He stretched out his arm and picked up the Bloody Rose from the floor. He then got up and opened the top drawer, placing it inside. He then headed toward me, with a serious expression on his face. He gazed into my eyes, causing my heartbeat become erratic. "You have seen where I have placed the gun." His tone was melancholy, his mouth twisted in a tight frown. "If I ever become a Level E," he paused, "I want you take that gun and kill me..."

I stared up in shock. After a few moments, I shook my head. "I will _not _let that happen." I said firmly. "I will not let you become a Level E. I will sustain your thirst for blood if I need to. But I will not let you fall to that state." I didn't feel any regret about telling him I'd do this. I'd commit, and pull through. I would _not_ let Zero become a Level E, under any circumstances!

He looked at me pensively. Then, without a word, he made his way to the door and left the room, his emotions, as usual, difficult to place.

X X X X X

I lay awake in my bed, still thinking about the events of that night. He had wanted to kill himself. He hated vampires so much that he went to the extent to even hate himself. I rested my forehead in my palm, thinking hard. Why do I never know how much pain the people closest to me are in? In fact, I'm usually the one who causes the pain.

I hurt Kaname-senpai by becoming Zero's girlfriend. I hurt Zero by involving him in my plan in the first place. And I hurt myself by hurting everyone else.

I shook my head vigorously. Why is it that everything always goes wrong in my life?

"Yuuki..." A whisper interrupted my thoughts. I glanced to the side. Yori was looking over at me, a groggy look on her face. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Are you okay? Why are you still up?"

I stared down at my blanket, hesitant to voice my thoughts. Finally, I spoke, staring out the window into the darkness. "Yori, do you think the plan that I'm doing is wrong?"

She sat up, now giving me her full attention. "What do you mean?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I don't know..." I paused. "It seems really selfish of me. I'm just hurting everyone and only caring about myself."

Yori looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I think this should be your decision, Yuuki. Do you feel that it's worth continuing because you will later succeed? If you do, then continue. But if you feel that you are hurting many people without any gain whatsoever, maybe you should just cancel the plan. It's up to you, Yuuki."

And with those last words, Yori turned in the opposite direction and covered herself with her blanket. Within seconds, she was already sound asleep. "Thank you, Yori," I whispered.

I buried myself under my covers with a sigh, my head still spinning with questions. What should I do?

X X X X X X

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! Please review! It makes me really happy to get reviews! Thanks again!**


	6. Hurt and Cancellation

**Chapter Six**

**AN: OMG! THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE REVIEWS! They made me so happy! Really! Thanks a ton! Huge Hugs to... **_jestie kiryuu, ayamiko95, DofD,, kochkai000, Aslickain Kiant, This Iz Pointless, shinigami777, XxSakura-HimexX, Colorado girlie, yasnky, teB360, Midnight Child17, YamaChii_**! Fourteen Reviewers! I really should thank each one of you personally! It means so much to me! Thank you so much! Love you all! Thanks again to my beta reader,**_This iz Pointless_**! You're the best and will always be the BEST BETA EVER! Love ya! Anyway enjoy the chap and keep reviewing! It makes me so happy and more eagar to update!**

**Disclaimer: Hi! My name is Matsuri Hino and I own Vampire Knight. Who am I kidding? But I'd pay a million dollars to own VK! I LOVE IT!**

**Hurt and Cancellation**

I gave a soft knock at the door and slowly pushed it open. "Chairman?" I called, looking around the small room. It was dimly lit with a small lantern at the corner of his paper-cluttered desk. The window was open, letting a warm, summer breeze blow into the room.

My adoptive father beamed up at me. "Yuuki-chan! I'm so glad you came!" He said in his childish voice. "Your poor, old father needs a favor."

I smiled slightly. "Sure. You are the chairman after all." He pouted in a whiny manner. "I mean - uhhh - you _are_ my father." I corrected myself quickly.

The chairman smiled brightly at my words. I sighed with relief, grateful that I would not have to put up with his rantings. "Well then," he continued. "We have a brand new student and I would like you, Yuuki, to show her _all _around the grounds!" He gestured his hands before himself enthusiastically.

"A new student?" I said curiously. "In middle of the semester?"

He lowered his hands but the infectious smile on his face remained where it was. "She hasn't been doing that great health-wise, but now she can finally join us at the academy!'" A knock sounded at the door. "Ah! Here she is now!" The chairman said heartily.

I turned. An attractive girl of about seventeen stepped in. She was wearing the night class uniform that blended in with the whitest hair I had ever seen. Her faced was frightened as she looked around cautiously. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. A night class student?_ A vampire?_

"Ummm... Hello..." She said hesitantly. "My name is Kurenai Maria."

"Maria-san!" The chairman beamed. "I'm so glad you came! I'm sure my dear night class students will accept you readily."

Her face remained emotionless. She didn't seem to hear his words. She started moving towards me. "You smell so good," she whispered.

I quickly back away, surprising myself a little as I bumped into the desk. I had been too set on getting away from her creepy advance to notice where I was actually going. My insides seemed to be gearing more toward freezing solid than staying nice and warm, and visions of what Zero had done kept flashing through my head. I could forgive Zero for that unexpected moment where he drank my blood, but not some stranger who definitely was _not_ Zero. Not even if she warned me. Maria-san looked at me innocently. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"Maria-san!" the chairman cut in, the tone of his voice suddenly becoming serious. "That phrase is taboo in this academy."

"I'm sorry," she looked down in shame. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. "Nice to meet you, Yuuki-san!" She smiled brightly. I forced an awkward smile.

The chairman's facial expression immediately changed back to childish and carefree. "Now!" He gestured towards me, his ponytail swinging in his enthusiasm. "My cute daughter will take you around the academy and show you to the Moon Dorm."

"Follow me!" I started towards the door. She made no move to do so. She just continued staring at me, unabashedly. "Uhh... Let's go!" I said, continuing my way out.

Maria-san came after me as I walked into the hall as I shut the door behind us. I strode down the hall, casting back a glance to make sure she was still following me. She was looking around curiously as if she'd never been in such a dorm before. The hallway was cold and dark, the only source of light coming from the window. I stared out at the night sky. The moon was bright red, the color of blood. I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. I shook my head, trying to get that notion out of my brain. _It must have been a lunar eclipse,_ I thought to myself.

As we neared the end of the hall, I stopped and pointed at the door on the left. "This is the classroom. The night class comes out from the dorms at around six in the evening."

She stared at the door, as if taking it all in. Slowly, she approached me and pulled her head towards me. "I'm very hungry," she said under her breath. "May I have some of your blood?"

"M-Maria-san" I stuttered, knowing without a doubt that my face revealed the fear in my heart. She brought her mouth closer, closer, closer... Gradually, she swept her tongue up my neck. My body gave a slight shiver. My mind went blank as she opened her mouth and placed her knife-like fangs onto my neck. A roller coaster of emotions rushed through me as the memories came back. Memories of what it felt like to have a vampire drink my blood. I felt a sensation rise within me. No! My blood only belonged to Zero and Kaname-senpai. And only should the need arise. Not just anyone could lick me dry as if I was worth nothing!

I prepared myself to try to push her away. Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by the sound of a gun loading. Maria-san pulled away slightly, glancing in the direction of the noise. I looked up in relief, grateful for the interruption. Nevertheless, a small trace of fear still remained inside me. Who could be pointing a gun at us?

From between the Maria-san's white hair, her head still leaning onto my neck, I saw a pair of eyes clouded with hatred and fury. Suddenly, I felt myself being jerked away ferociously.

"What do you think you're doing, vampire?" Zero spat, grabbing my mind with unconsciously overpowering strength, winning the split-second tug-of-war that happened between him and Maria-san. The relief, fear and anxiety inside me twisted together and made it extremely confusing to decipher my own self. And the negative feelings just increased as I saw Zero was still aiming the Bloody Rose at Maria-san. What would happen if he actually shot? Would he? Maria-san was a new student—and a sickly one, at that. But Maria didn't look scared or anxious like I felt. She simply remained frozen, not a single emotion betraying itself on her face.

"You smell like that woman," Zero said between gritted teeth. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his emotions under control. She continued staring at Zero defiantly, a triumphant look on her face. Zero's eyes formed a V and I could sense his blood boiling with anger.

Without thinking, I lunged myself at Zero, pushing the gun down to his waist. "No, Zero!" I cried. "Don't do it!"

He continued glaring at the white-haired vampire in front of us. Without shifting his gaze, he said, "Move away, Yuuki. I must get rid of this vampire. There's something about her..."

The atmosphere in the hallway was growing more and more icy. I saw clearly the hate in Zero's stormy, dark purple eyes, as he glared at the vampire beside me. Suddenly, he grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me along behind him, leaving Maria-san staring at our backs.

"Zero!" I yelped in surprise.

"I don't want to ever see you near that vampire, Yuuki," he said fiercely.

"But why?" I asked, trying my best to keep up with his pace. I felt Maria-san staring after us. Zero dragged me behind him, clutching my forearms tightly. He stopped abruptly, and I nearly slipped in my surprise. I listened intently to whatever could be in our surroundings, wondering what Zero had stopped for and hoping to find it.

The tapping of footsteps were growing louder and louder, coming from around the hallway corner. A tall figure, dressed in the white night class uniform, turned in.

"K-Kaname-senpai!" I stuttered in surprise. Why did he always show up at the wrong times? He continued walking for a bit, before stopping right beside us.

"Good evening, Yuuki," he smiled gently, keeping his gaze intent upon me as if not wanting to acknowledge Zero's presence.

"G-Good evening, Kaname-senpai," I smiled back shyly. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. As I stared deep into Kaname-senpai's eyes, something struck me. He seemed so lonely, his eyes brimming over with sadness. Why? Was it because of me? A powerful guilt overrode me again. Oh, why did I have to go through with all this pretending to be Zero's boyfriend business. Was that why he was sad? Could I actually have such a powerful affect on his emotions?

Zero glared at the pureblood with loathing. He grabbed me suddenly. "Let's go," he said coolly.

"Kiryuu-kun," Kaname-senpai's voice was dripping with venom, making it very obvious that he was trying to keep his facial expressions under control. "Have you injured Yuuki in any way?" Zero's eyes widened as he suddenly unleashed the Bloody Rose and pointed it toward at the vampire. Panic rose within me, knowing that Zero would now hesitate for a moment before pushing the trigger. One wrong move from Kaname-senpai and it could be all over.

Kaname-senpai's expression, though, remained cool and collected. He strode towards me and took me by the hand. He slowly brought the top of my palm up to his mouth and kissed it lightly.

My heart beat quickened to a dangerously high rate. He brought his face to eye level with me, his back still bent. He stared deep into my chocolate-colored eyes. "I cannot bear to believe that someone has drunk the blood of my precious girl." My heart hammered inside me as he said those words.

Did Kaname-senpai somehow find out about what Zero had done? Does he know that I had collapsed immediately after Zero bit me? And what did he think of it? Did he want to expel or kill Zero or something? Did Kaname want to drink my blood too?

Kaname-senpai straightened himself and looked directly at Zero. "Kiryuu, I feel a need to punish you for what you've done. You have hurt Yuuki." He slowly moved towards Zero, drawing out his steps.

I glanced at Zero. His eyes were widened with fear of the pureblood heading in his direction. I could hardly blame him. Here was an almighty pureblood ready as anything to harm a Level D vampire. Nevertheless, or perhaps in his fright, Zero kept the Bloody Rose before him.

For the second time that night, I lunged to put myself before Zero, this time facing Kaname-senpai. The latter looked at me curiously, almost as if he had been expecting me to act like this.

"No!" I stretched my arms out before Zero. "Please... He didn't mean to... I- I let him bite me!" I cried. "Please don't hurt him."

For a few minutes, there was a stony silence. Finally, Kaname-senpai broke it, eyeing me over with an evaluating air. "I will not harm him for now, Yuuki, but only because you have requested it. However… You should know," he said softly yet dangerousy, glaring at Zero, "that if you harm Yuuki again…" He paused, drawing the seconds taut and causing me to feel fear even though I knew I shouldn't. "You will not be spared."

I calmed down slightly. "Thank you, Kaname-senpai," I whispered with relief. He walked past us and without a word, disappeared down the hall.

I watched him go for a few seconds before turning back to Zero. His eyes were still narrowed and his fists were clenched with fear and fury.

"Well, now that that's taken care of..." I laughed nervously, knowing that my face was surely giving away my false cheer. "Let's go."

Zero strode down the hall. I hurried and fell into step beside him. As we walked in silence, my thoughts drifted back to the plan. I still hadn't come up with a solution. I knew that I should just cancel it, but how should I tell Zero?

"Uuuhhh... Zero..." I began hesitantly. He looked at me expectantly. "Well, I..." I made sure to choose my words carefully, "You don't need to pretend to be...you know..." I paused again. "You don't have to help me with my plan anymore..." I smiled in embarrassment and blushed. "I mean, you don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore."

I waited for a reaction, but was disappointed. There was none. Zero said nothing as he continued walking and turned the dark hallway corner towards his room. I focused my attention on the floor, slightly glad that I had finally done the right thing.

"Why?" I looked up. Zero was staring at me, waiting for an answer to that lone word that sent a chill of dread down my spine. Did I _have_ to answer that?

"Huh?" I said in fake confusion, hoping stalling would give me time to think of a good answer.

"Why are you canceling it?" he pried, his eyes boring into me.

I tried to avoid his gaze, looking everywhere but at him as I finally spoke. "Well...umm... I'm hurting everyone. You, Kaname-senpai, myself..."

"I see..." He looked away and continued walking.

"But thank you Zero," I said softly. "Thank you for helping me."

Zero stopped for a moment, keeping his gaze down as we neared his room. Finally, he slowly twisted the knob, shutting the door behind him.

I sighed with relief. He'd been happy, right? I had done the right thing. But as I headed back to my room, somehow, I just wasn't so sure.

**AN: Yuuki! Why'd you cancel the plan? You baka! But I hope you enjoyed the chap. PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I update, so it all depends on all of you! **


	7. I Will Protect You!

**Chapter Seven**

**AN: Hey Everyone! Thanks a ton for all your great reviews! I also feel bad for Zero but don't worry. I'm gonna make him happy! Real Happy :D . Anyway, Big Hugs to... **_DofD, jestie kiryuu, bluerose00, YamaChii, animeloverxxx, Ria, shinigami777, XxSakura-HimexX, teB360, yasnky, Aslickain Kiant, GrayCrystal, Starlight _**. BTW, I think I should mention that I made Ichiru come in to the Day Class earlier than in the regular manga. It fit better! Sorry if it's confusing! But Thanks everyone! And thanks, as always to my beta,**_ This Iz Pointless. _**Keep reviewing and enjoy the chapter! **

**I Will Protect You!**

I hurried across the classroom, clutching my books tightly in my hand. Climbing the few steps up to my seat, I sat down with a sigh of relief. I made it!

"Good Morning, Yuuki," I heard a voice from beside me. I shot a glance to the side and smiled at Yori.

"Good Morning," I stretched my hands above my head tiredly.

"I tried to wake you up this morning but you refused to get out of bed." Yori commented. "What were you doing last night?"

A frown made its way to my face as the memories of last night came back to me.

_Her face remained emotionless. She didn't seem to hear his words. She started moving towards me. "You smell so good," she whispered..._

_ "I don't want to ever see you near that vampire, Yuuki,"..._

_ "I will not harm him for now, Yuuki, but only because you have requested it. However… You should know," he said softly yet dangerousy, glaring at Zero, "that if you harm Yuuki again… you will not be spared..."_

_ "Uuuhhh... Zero..." I began hesitantly. He looked at me expectantly. "Well, I..." I made sure to choose my words carefully. "You don't need to pretend to be...you know..." I paused again. "You don't have to help me with my plan anymore..." I smiled in embarrassment and blushed. "I mean, you don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore..."_

As the memories flashed back in my mind, I felt a searing pain cut through my head. I covered my face with my palms, trying to relax myself.

"Yuuki," Yori said worriedly, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

I looked up, trying my hardest to ignore the increasing agony rising from within me. These memories were torturing me to no end. "I'm fine," I smiled weakly. "I'm just tired." Looking around quickly, I reassured myself that no one was staring in my direction. Everyone was busy doing they're own thing

Yori raised her eyes skeptically but made no comment. Meanwhile, the questions were still badgering at me, bothering me to no end. Why did I still feel that I had not done the right thing? I _had _cancelled the plan after all! Then, suddenly, it clicked. I had not told Kaname-senpai! He still thought I was Zero's girlfriend. He was still being hurt by my actions. The only solution would be to head over to the Moon Dorm myself and tell Kaname-senpai.

I straightened my books against the table in self-satisfaction and smiled happily. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do! As soon as I told him that I was no longer Zero's girlfriend, this would be all over. Everything would be just fine!

"You seem to have cheered up quickly," Yori commented, gazing at me curiously.

I gave her a wide smile and prepared myself to answer. Before I could open my mouth, a voice rang out from the front of the classroom.

"Okay, everyone. Quiet down," I looked down to where Tamari-sensei was standing. Beside him was a tall, silver-haired boy, whose bangs hung messily over his elegant face. He was surveying the classroom curiously. As the noise died down, he drew his attention back the students.

My eyebrow shot up in surprise. Zero? Why on Earth was he standing at head of the classroom? What was going _on_?

"We have a new student," Tamari-sensei began, cutting into my thoughts. He gestured toward Zero - or whoever he was. Who _was_ this guy? And why did he look _exactly_ like Zero? "This is Kiryuu Ichiru. I'm sure you have all noticed that his looks are identical to that of Kiryuu Zero." He paused dramatically. "As you probably already guessed, they are brothers. Twins to be exact."

Tumult immediately erupted from all sides of the classroom. I inhaled sharply as my eyes grew wide. Zero's_ twin brother_? Hadn't he died along with the others at the hand of the pureblood who killed Zero's family? How is it possible that he was alive and healthy and Zero had no idea? I quickly glanced upward toward Zero's seat. Empty.

Had Zero known that Ichiru was entering Cross Academy? If he did, shouldn't he be thrilled? Why was he avoiding his brother as if he was some incurable disease?

Ichiru nonchalantly made his way up the steps between the rows toward his assigned seat, a smirk plastered on his face. As he passed through, he began nearing the edge of the stairs and purposely bumped himself into the seats. He turned suddenly towards me, his lips still twisted in a smug smile, and looked at me, his hands still buried in his pockets.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Though it was clear between the two of us that he had not touched me in the slightest. "Oh! You must be Cross Yuuki-san," he smiled. "The chairman has told me about you." He bent down, leaning towards my face, his smile still twisted. "This is for you," he said in a dangerous voice. Every eye in the classroom was glaring in our direction, prying nosily as to what secrets Ichiru was divulging to me.

I froze as my shoulders tensed in fear. Something about him just gave me a bad feeling. He then slipped a small, folded note onto my notebook.

What was he doing? What could be written on that note? It couldn't be a love letter, could it? Give me a break! I never even met him before. He has no idea what I'm like!

"Why is it always the prefect?" I heard a whisper from above me

"She's already got Kuran-senpai and Kiryuu-kun. Even Idol likes her!" another, more feminine voice answered with clear, outright jealousy.

I sighed. Do they think I want it to be that way? It may seem pleasant to the others, but having to endure attacks by those Day Class girls every time a night class student opened his mouth to me was not so great. Sure, I love Kaname-senpai and all, but it was really difficult sometimes.

I glanced around the classroom only to notice every sole pair of eyes still glaring at me grudgingly. Ichiru threw back his head and rolled with laughter as he took his seat behind an infatuated girl.

With my hands still shaking, for reasons even I couldn't decipher, I unfolded the note. On it was written in neat, careful handwriting:

_If you want to save Zero come to Kurenai Maria's room at 8:00 tonight. _

My eyebrows arched in curiousity. If I wanted to save Zero? Well, of course I did! There was no doubt about _that_. He's grown up with me for almost four years. But where did Maria-san have a place in all this? Why couldn't Ichiru save Zero? Didn't he want to save Zero? Didn't he want to save his _own twin brother_?

I rested my head in my hands, my head spinning with questions. After a few moments, I shot a glance towards Ichiru-kun. He was staring at me, smirking complacently.

I sighed and refolded the letter, placing it carefully back in my jacket pocket. If I could save Zero, I would do whatever it took! Even if Zero forbade me from nearing Maria-san even again, I would save him. No matter what!

X X X X X

I pushed open the heavy brass doors of the Moon Dorm, glancing around outside quickly before I went in. The large trees' branches drifted with the wind as the orange sun timidly peeked out from beyond the horizon, marking the day's end. .

I carefully shut the door behind me and headed in the direction of the dorm stairs. Looking around, I realized that there was was not a vampire in sight. They must all be at Night Classes, I reasoned. Maria-san must have gotten out of it somehow. But where did Ichiru-san come into all this? Being a day class student, how would he know Maria-san at all?

I climbed the stairs, anxiously thinking about how she would save Zero. She wasn't even a pureblood so she didn't have the power to give him the blood needed to save him. Maybe she knew the woman who killed Zero's entire family and was able to contact her. Thus, she would be able to save Zero. That was definetely possible.

As I reached my destination, I nervously picked up my hand and rested it on the door, bringing it to a knock. After a few moments, quiet footsteps sounded from the other side. The door slowly opened to reveal a beautiful moonlight-haired girl peaking out.

"Yuuki-san," she smiled gently. "I'm so glad you came." She stepped away from the door, opening it fully and letting me inside.

I stepped into the room and smiled slightly. "Hello, Maria-san. I...uhhh..." Now how do I do this? I fished around in my mind for the right thing to say. "Ichiru-san told me to come here."

"Yes," she gestured me to step deeper into the large room. The curtains were drawn keeping out most of the light. A small lantern sat at the corner of a table in the center of the room, giving the room some dim light. Maria-san sat herself down on the oversized bed as she waited for me to follow her. As I sat down on the soft, cushioned chair opposite the vampire, she stared at me curiously, making me feel immensly uncomfortable. I stared at my lap, still unsure of how to continue.

"So you want to save Zero?" she asked suddenly, her expression, as usual, emotionless.

I looked up, startled and said, "Oh! Yes, I do! I'll do anything!" I leaned in. "Please can you help me? I want to save my friend!"

She continued to stare at me, as if contemplating what I had just said. Finally, she nodded. "I can help you," she paused. "But I'll need something from you in return."

I felt my body freeze like one block of ice. Something from me...? What could she possibly want from someone like me? I had no powers and I was not a vampire. Wait... No... She couldn't possibly want...

"Your blood..." she said, shattering my thoughts with the very words I was dreading. "I want your blood," she whispered. I felt my hands begin to shake, as my face broke out in a sweat.

"No!" I said, my voice trembling with fear and panic. "No! My blood is only for Zero. For Zero and...and Kaname-senpai..." I looked away, avoiding her prying gaze. "I'm sorry but I cannot give you my blood."

She leaned towards me dangerously. My mind went blank as she placed her ice cold hand onto my sweating palms. "But you are helping Zero. It would be the same as giving him your blood. If you help me, I help him." She stopped, allowing me time to think.

Give my blood... to someone else? I couldn't possibly do that. Kaname-senpai would be furious with me and besides, my blood wasn't just for the taking. It could only be drunk by certain people. And certainly not Maria-san, who Zero warned me to stay away from.

"You will be helping him..." Maria-san repeated. My mind was blank. What should I do?

Without warning, a knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Maria-san called. The door slowly opened, revealing Ichiru, staring deep into the room directly at Maria-san and I.

"Maria-sama, do you need anything from me?" he addressed her respectfully. Sama? Humans don't usually refer to vampires as sama. Something sounded fishy here.

Maria-san smiled gently at him. "Yes, you are just in time. Please take Yuuki-san back to her dorm." I stared at her in astonishment. I had not given her my answer yet! She nodded, as if understanding what I was saying. "You can give me your answer when you are ready, Yuuki-san. In the mean time, it's getting late." She spoke to me, pityingly, as if I was a child.

I stared for a few seconds, then finally got up. "Um... Okay... I will give you my answer. Goodbye, Maria-san."

Ichiru escorted me out the door, and led the way. As we strode down the hall, I stared at his casual way of walking, hands in his pocket, back slouched slightly. He just gave off an aura of indifference, so unlike that of his ever-cautious brother.

Suddenly, Ichiru stopped, his back still toward me and stared ahead. I peeked out from behind him, and felt my eyes grow wide as saucers.

"Z-Zero!" I stuttered. "What are you doing here?" I stepped up from behind Ichiru and gazed at Zero.

Zero's gaze was captured by that of Ichiru-kun's. The hunter's eyes were narrowed, his eyes cold and angry as he stared at his long lost twin brother. "Ichiru," he spat, not taking his eyes off his other half. "What have you done to Yuuki?" Okay, something was definetely wrong. Is that the way you greet someone you assumed to be dead?

Ichiru smirked. "Well, well. Is that how you greet your dear brother?" he said, seemingly reading my thoughts.

Zero's fists clentched as I could sense him beginning to get threatening. "What have you done to Yuuki?" he said again, through clentched teeth. Panic rose from within me. What have I done? What was going to happen?

"Nothing, nothing." Ichiru said, mocking him with his casual voice. "I was just escorting her back to the dorms. Is that so wrong?"

Suddenly, Zero grabbed my forearm and pulled me fiercely towards him, resting my head onto his hard chest. My heart hammered at his closeness. What was he doing? "I will protect this girl with my entire body. Don't you dare do anything to her!"

I felt my eyes widen. What on Earth was he saying? "But Zero, you don't have to-" I began. He cut me off, covering my mouth with palm, blocking all forms of speech.

He pressed me harder into his warm chest. "If you want to get to Yuuki, you have to get to me first."

As he uttered those last words, he gently moved my head away from his chest. Then, he turned on his feet, my arm still encased in his palms and dragged me after him.

My head was spinning. Zero was going to protect me? But he didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore! Why was he doing this? And why did I feel a strange sense of disappointment as soon as he pulled me away from his chest. It was as if we were real lovers. His words from the night of Ichijou-senpai's birthday party flashed in my mind.

"_You said you were scared. So I'm holding your hand. That's what lovers do, right?" _

Those were his exact words. But that was the time when we were_ pretending _so he had to do that! And besides, I was in love with Kaname-senpai, wasn't I? That was the whole point of this plan; to get him to confess. That was the _reason _I asked him to be my pretend boyfriend.

I stared up at Zero. He face was scrunched, deep in thought. I wanted to ask him why he said those words, but the courage left me. As we walked back in silence, his words tormented me. _I will protect this girl with my entire body. _I tried my hardest to get his words out of my mind. After all, I'm in love with Kaname-senpai aren't I?

X X X X X

**AN: Oooohhh! This was a dramatic chapter. She's starting to realize her feelings for Zero. But what will happen? Will Zero win her over? And I know, she didn't tell Kaname yet. But I'm saving that for next chapter. Look forward to the next chapter because it should be good! WHITE DAY! Review, please! I really love reviews so each one of you readers can help bring the next chapter closer! Please do so! Thanks a lot and hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Next Chapter: White Day.**


	8. White Day Invitations

**Chapter Eight**

**AN: Hey Everyone! Thanks a ton for all the reviews! I'm really really sorry about the wait. I had the chapter ready a while ago but my internet went down so I couldn't upload it. Sorry but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Lets give out my hugs to...**_teB360, purplestars11, yasnky, animeloverxxx, SheriruIshuku, Aslickain Kiant, DofD, XxSakura-HimexX, This Iz Pointless, YamaChii and Dark-Rose-Raven09TT._** You guys are and will always be the best! :3 89 Reviews so far! :DDDDD I'm glad everyone's enjoying it so much! Let's see if we could reach 100 by the next chap! It shouldn't be too hard. If we do, I'll dedicate the next chapter to all my current reviewers! Anyway, enjoy the chap!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, I'd be drawing Chapter 62 right now (or maybe 63 since 62's out this Thursday ^ ^). But sorry, I'm only a fan.**

**White Day Invitations **

** "**Yuuki!" I felt my body shake vigorously. "Yuuki, wake up or we'll be late. Hurry!" The voice was patient, though firm. Cracking my eyes open, I squinted as the bright sunlight caught my eye. Groaning, I closed my eyes again and rolled over.

"Yuuki..." the voice said warningly. With a deep sigh, I opened my eyes once more to stare at a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring down into mine. Soft caramel hair flowed softly over Yori's faced as she waited expectantly for me to get out of bed.

With a moan, I tossed the covers off me and propped myself up. "Good Morning, Yori," I said, yawning.

"Good Morning," she answered back. I stood up and strode across the room tiredly. Another boring day as a prefect. Drag myself out of bed; go to classes; get myself another detention from my sheer lack of sleep; handling the rowdy Day Class students; stuff some food down my throat and head over back to bed, preparing for the yet another day.

Moving my toothbrush back and forth fiercely against my teeth, I tried to let out my aggravation. Didn't we have some sort of Math exam today? Well, so much for that. I didn't study a bit last night.

"So, are you excited, Yuuki?" came Yori's voice from far behind me. I turned around, still brushing harshly.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, through the toothpaste filling my mouth. "What's today?"

"White Day," Yori said, in a matter-of-fact tone. Spitting and sputtering in utter shock, I hurried over to the sink to quickly wash out the toothpaste remnants.

"White Day?" I turned back to face her, aghast. "How could I have forgotten? It's White Day! Oh, what am I going to do? I'm totally not prepared!"

Yori smiled. "Don't worry, Yuuki. You'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" I said, trying to keep my voice under control. "It's White Day! The day I've been planning for! The day Kaname-senpai is going to -" I stopped abruptly. Somehow, the excitement just disappeared from within me. Wait. Wasn't I supposed to be really excited? Today is March fourteenth, the day I've been yearning for over a month! The day Kaname-senpai is supposed to return my feelings.

"Let's go, Yuuki." Yori gestured me towards the door, giving me a worried glance. Staring at the floor, I continued to walk beside my friend in wonder. What on Earth was wrong with me?

X X X X X

"Get back!" I shouted for the millionth time. "Everyone get back or the Night Class won't be able to go through!" They seemed to be extra rowdy today, hoping that maybe today, on White Day, their feelings would be returned. At the finish of my words, I heard a loud creak from the door behind me. Turning slightly, I watched nervously as the beautiful figures of the Night Class vampires came into view.

I shot a glance to the side to gaze at my partner. As expected, Zero was shooting dirty looks in the direction of the squealing girls. I sighed. He'd never change. The screams got louder cutting into my thoughts and forcing me to look up. Aidou-senpai was walking by with a complaisant expression on his face.

"Good Evening!" he greeted loudly.

"Good Evening!" came the chorus of simultaneous voices.

I watched absent-mindedly as Aidou-senpai continued walking by, grinning from ear to ear, with the rest lagging behind him. The Day Class girls were gazing eagerly, each one trying to catch the attention of the receiver of her special chocolate.

"Hello, Yuuki," I heard a deep voice sound from behind me. I looked up, startled to see Kaname-senpai smiling gently down at me.

"H-Hello, Kaname-senpai," I smiled awkwardly up at him.

"May I talk with you for a few moments?" he asked, peering at me curiously.

"S-Sure!" I stuttered. My mind was racing. Was he really going to confess? Did he really love me? Was my plan going to work after all?

Turning slowly, Kaname-senpai led the way down the path, the blood rushing to my face as every pair of eyes there bore through me. Kaname-senpai seemed not to notice our individualized attention, and if he did, he didn't care.

Nervously following his lead, I followed Kaname-senpai out of the sight of the students and into a nearby private garden. I recognized the garden as the one Zero had bitten me in on the night of Ichijou's birthday party.

For a few moments, I gazed awkwardly at the beautiful multi-colored daisies surrounding us. I stared at the large fountain in the center, the water within brilliantly reflecting the sun's rays. It wasn't painful to look at, but when I drew my eyes away to look at the flowers again, a greenish-blue splotch of color blocked my view. And closing my eyes didn't make it any better.

"Yuuki..." Kaname-senpai's voice drew my face towards him. I fixed my stare upon his elegant, vampire features. His expression was tender as he asked, "Do you know what today is?"

I could feel every beat inside my heart as he said those words. "T-Today?" I laughed nervously. "Ummm... White Day?" I said, making my statement sound more question-like.

He smiled, "That's right, and because it is White Day, I have something else to ask you." My eyes grew wide as saucers and I felt my shoulders tense . No. It couldn't be. My plan was working too fast. He couldn't confess to me already! I mean, I had just given him a chocolate on Valentine's Day! One month ago. And he still thought I was Zero's girlfriend. I never had a chance to tell him the truth yet! Wait!

He cupped my face gently into his palm. My face grew hot. "The White Day Ball is coming up..." he said, taking me completely by surprise.

"The White Day Ball?" I repeated stupidly.

He nodded slowly. "In two weeks is the ball. Are you going?"

I laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. The chairman asked me to be security." I darted my eyes around warily, avoiding his gaze.

Kaname-senpai's eyes bore through me as he spoke, making me feel immensely uncomfortable. "Not that." I drew my face away from his in shame, staring at the cobblestone ground below me.

"I-I don't have anything to wear and the chairman would probably need me." I continued to avoid his gaze, while trying to make up excuses. He couldn't want to go with me to the ball, could he? I mean, he still thought I was Zero's girlfriend. That reminded me! I looked up abruptly, speaking aloud. "Kaname-senpai!"

He looked down at me, giving me his full attention and waiting for me to continue speaking. "Well, uhhh..." I suddenly lost confidence when meeting his intent stare. "About Zero..." His face suddenly lost its kindness. He was clearly showing his lack of satisfaction that I wanted to talk about Zero. "Thank you for not transferring him to the night class." The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them.

His eyebrows continued to narrow. Oh no! What have I done? I was supposed to tell him that I wasn't going out with Zero! Instead, I made things worse! I groaned inwardly. I sure did have a knack for ruining things.

"That's alright," his voice remained cool and distant. "But if things get out of control, I will have to take matter into my own hands.."

I looked down once again and whispered, "Thank you," There was an awkward silence for a while. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Kaname-senpai's mind. Why did he treat me so specially anyway? Like Aidou-senpai said: he must've saved a hundred humans, yet he chose me to treat extraordinarily.

Why? I may be stupid at times, but I always knew that Kaname-senpai and I had some sort of connection in the past. After all, why was he there on that snowy night? I just wish I had the courage to ask him these intriguing questions. But every time he spoke to me, I felt all my courage flee from within me. He make me shake a bit every time I saw his face, besides for the obvious fact that my heart went fluttery at the very sight of him. Wait a minute! Something was definitely different. I should be thrilled at the prospect of going to the ball with Kaname-senpai! This was my life-long dream! Was. Where did that come from? It is my dream, isn't it?

But instead, replacing the picture of Kaname-senpai and I dancing, was a scene of me and Zero, dancing in the center of the dancefloor. My face grew hot at this picture. Me, dancing with Zero? No way! That would never happen! And why am I blushing?

"We danced together often when we were young, didn't we?" His deep voice shattered my thoughts. I picked up my gaze, startled.

"Ah, yeah!" I said in surprise, "And senpai always adapted for my clumsiness and terrible lack of dancing ability."

He smiled gently, his expression completely different from that of moments before. It was now warm and kind once again. "You are very precious to me, Yuuki. I always feel a need to look after you." I looked up at him in puzzlement. "So will you go with me to the dance?" He seemed much more straight-forward and direct than usual.

My mouth fell open slightly. So he did want to go with me to the dance. But didn't he think Zero was my boyfriend?

"Has Kiryuu-kun asked you yet?" he spoke aloud, as if reading my thoughts.

I looked up. "Well... no..." I said awkwardly. His face brightened slightly at my words but did not interrupt me.

After a few moments, realizing that I would not continue, he voiced his thoughts. "Then would you like to come with me?" I stared at him my eyes widened, though not giving away my thoughts. Seeing as I did not answer right away, he turned away and started to take his leave.

"Well, I would be glad to have you come with me if Kiryuu doesn't go." His face and neglect of giving Zero an honorific betrayed his hurt.

He started to walk away, his back stiff and his shoulders tensed. "Wait!" I called, grabbing onto the back of his blazer. He stopped midtracks and turned around once again, his chocolate-brown eyes suddenly tired-looking. "Ummm... I'll go with you. Of course I will! I was just startled." I laughed nervously. "Yeah, startled. I'm sorry."

His faced softened a bit. He said nothing for a few seconds as he seemed to be considering what I said. Finally, he told me, "Fine then. See you at the ball." And with those words, he turned suddenly and made his way across the garden. I stared after him, with only one thought in my mind. _Kaname had not confessed_. But he had asked me to the ball. Now how am I supposed to tell Zero about all this?

X X X X X

Sitting myself down at the kitchen table, I watched as the chairman finished up preparing dinner. It's been a while since we all ate together and he wanted to make it a family occasion. I leaned my head into my palm and waited for us to start. Zero was sitting directly across from me, an annoyed expression clear on his handsome face. It was quite apparent that he had only come reluctantly.

I sighed. Well, that makes two. I was in absolutely no mood to put up with the chairman's eccentricity. But if no mention of the White Day Ball is made, I'll be fine. If.

The chairman turned around suddenly, his face beaming like the light of sun. "I'm so excited!" he said enthusiastically. "We haven't done this in so long! My dear Yuuki, Zero and I all gathered at a table, eating together like a family!" He sighed dramatically. "And to think I actually got stubborn Zero to agree!"

I smiled, beside myself. Although odd at times, the chairman can usually be very sweet. Such as saying Zero was stubborn but clearly showing how happy he was that Zero actually showed up

Slipping on the oven mitt, the chairman picked up the hot bowl of tomato soup and lay it on the table. As I stared at the food in front of me, my stomach grumbled ravenously, reminding me that I had not eaten in a while. Careful not to spill the soup, I scooped up some of the hot liquid into my bowl. As I placed the ladle back into the bowl, I noticed Zero's staring with widened eyes at the steaming tomato soup. The chairman sat down happily and followed my suit, humming and obviously not noticing the tension in the slightest.

"Zero?" I said, gazing at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" He seemed not to hear me as he continued staring at the large bowl in front of us. "Zero?"

The chairman picked up his head and grinned in Zero's direction. "Ichiru-kun told me that tomato soup is your favorite. Aren't you glad to have a twin brother?" he finished animatedly.

Zero's eyed grew wider for a few seconds. Finally, he took his eyes off the soup and began to scoop some into his bowl. My heart swelled with pity for Zero. It surely must be hard to be enemies with your own twin brother.

"Yuuki," the chairman cut into my thoughts. "Are you going with anyone to the White Day Ball? I wouldn't want anyone to think _my _precious daughter Yuuki," he placed his hands on his chest haughtily. "couldn't get a boyfriend."

I groaned inwardly. This is exactly what I had dreaded. Looking down at my food, I took some in a spoon and blew on it, in an effort to cool it down. After sipping carefully, I looked up. Zero and my adoptive father were staring at me intently.

I nervously focused my eyes on Zero, hoping he would look away. He did no such thing. Staring at me watchfully, he waited for my answer. Realizing that I would have to answer eventually, I turned my eye away and faced the chairman.

Shifting uncomfortable, I stared at the floor and said, "Yeah, I got someone to go with."

"Oh that's great!" the chairman said energetically. "Kaname-kun?" I nodded nervously, continuing to avoid Zero's eye. "I always knew he would ask you sooner or later." I said nothing in reply.

For a few moments, there was dead silence. I had not told the chairman about my plan so he had no idea what was racing through my brain right now. Besides that, what was Zero thinking? I had utterly betrayed him, just using him when I needed and dumping him when I was done.

The sound of a chair moving fiercely broke the icy silence. Looking up suddenly, I saw Zero standing, hurt clearly expressing itself in his violet eyes. I looked up suddenly, startled at the unexpected noise. Catching my eye, Zero glared at me for a few moments.

"Excuse me. I've finished eating," he said curtly, taking off abruptly.

"Zero!" I called after him. Receiving no answer, I sighed deeply and looked back into my bowl. Twisting my spoon around my plate, I reflected guiltily over what I had done.

"But he didn't finish eating!" the chairman pouted, pointing at Zero's full bowl. I continued to play with my food mournfully. What have I done?

X X X X X

**AN: I know you're all mad that I sent Yuuki to the ball with Kaname, but you'll see. Something important's going to happen by that ball!(No, Yuuki and Zero are not going to kiss! It's too early for that! ^ ^) Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Please review so I can get to 100, kay? I'll be so happy! :DDDDD Thanks a ton, all of you!**

**Next Chapter: The White Day Ball**


	9. The White Day Ball!

**Chapter Nine**

**AN: I am sooooooooooo sorry about the long wait - Again. T.T . I went away for a looooooong while (^.^) so I couldn't update! But here it is! Because it's the summer the next chap should be out pretty soon hopefully. Anyway, OMG! I got much more reviews then I expected! 107! WOW! Thanks guys! You're the best! Big hugs to... **_DofD, redriver1311, Guro-chan, This Iz Pointless, xitsnotLoveX3, Aslickain Kiant, XxSakura-HimexX, Starlight, teB360, Ayamiko95, YamaChii, SheriruIshuku, Eternally Edward Cullen, lindamalinda27, Jacobluvr1212, Whitewolfffy, AshleeMCR, _** ! Wait! How much was that? 18! WOAH! Thanks a ton guys! And the next chap's almost ready so review please! And I'm sorry if there's any mistakes. I couldn't get in touch with my beta for the best few days and since it's already so late, I decided to post it. Thanks N' Enjoy! Sorry again for the lack of update! Oh and Don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Okay, Now I'm getting tired of this. I CAN ONLY WISH I OWNED VK!**

**The White Day Ball**

I stood outside, staring at the large, magnificent building in front of me, with growing excitement and slight trepidation. I was going to the White Day Ball with Kaname-senpai! Fingering the soft, silk dress Kaname-senpai had given me, a smile crept onto my face. White Day had come and gone in the blink of an eye and everything had gone according to plan! Well, almost everything. Kaname-senpai hadn't exactly confessed, but he had invited me to the ball! That's a step ahead, isn't it?

With these thoughts in mind, I began to climb the first stair. Reenacting my decision to push down the weird nervousness I felt around Zero, I began to ascend. _I just feel that way around him because he's so intimidating and distant,_ I had decided. That had to be it.

I raised my head to stare up at the night sky. The stars shown brilliantly, each adding its own bit of light onto our dark world. The moon was a pure, sparking, white circle. _No red in it tonight! _I thought, smiling. The atmosphere soothed my nerves a bit as I continued to step up the cold, stone stairs.

Reaching the last step, I stared ahead in amazement. The large banquet hall which the chairman had prepared was decorated lavishly. Cream-colored curtains were drawn over the extending windows, revealing the darkness of the outside world. Circling the room were clothed tables, each carrying its own buffet of exquisite foods. Finally, in the center of the hall were numerous couples, already dancing to the soft music. I smiled inwardly. This is a high-class academy, after all! The parties should be flawless!

As I glanced around the room, a tall, god-like figure caught my eye. Zero was leaning casually onto a nearby wall, casting annoyed glances at the dancing couples. As expected, he was dressed in his usual day class attire, not even bothering to change for the formal event. Despite that, I found myself noticing how incredibly handsome he was. Everything from the elegant silvery, white hair, to the earrings and tattoo-marked neck, down to the way he was casually leaning against the wall. Everything about him seemed to drawing me in.

Suddenly, his eyes met mine, making a shiver run up my spine. All at once, my heart began to race and I felt that familiar nervousness rush through me. The heat ran up my face making my emotions feel like an open book. As I continued to stare deep into his lavender-grey eyes, I felt a thousand emotions pass between us. I could see that Zero was experiencing many feelings as well, though his face made them completely undecipherable.

I opened my mouth nervously to speak. "G-Good Evening, Zero," I stuttered. Not able to manage a non-awkward smile, I stared dumbly ahead as I waited for an answer. His moonstone eyes were filled with coolness and annoyance as he continued to stare at me with pursed lips and a stiffened expression.

Somehow, the reason I had come up with earlier for his anger didn't seem to be the right answer anymore. He didn't appear to be angry over the fact that I had selfishly used him for my plan. It seemed to be something else that was bothering him. But what could it be? Could there be another reason for his obvious frustration with me?

My mind reeled back to the day two weeks ago when I had announced that I was going to the ball with Kaname-senpai.

_"Yuuki," the chairman said. "Are you going with anyone to the White Day Ball? I wouldn't want anyone to think my precious daughter Yuuki," he placed his hands on his chest haughtily, "Couldn't get a boyfriend." __I groaned inwardly. This is exactly what I had dreaded. Looking down at my food, I took some in a spoon and blew on it, in an effort to cool it down. After sipping carefully, I looked up. Zero and my adoptive father were staring at me intently._

_I nervously focused my eyes on Zero, hoping he would look away. He did no such thing. Staring at me watchfully, he waited for my answer. Realizing that I would have to answer eventually, I turned my eye away from Zero's peering gaze and faced the chairman._

_Shifting uncomfortably, I stared at the floor and said in a mumble, "Yeah, I have someone to go with."_

_"Oh, that's great!" the chairman said energetically. "Kaname-kun?" I nodded nervously, continuing to avoid Zero's eye. "I always knew he would ask you sooner or later." he continued. I said nothing in reply._

_For a few moments, there was dead silence. I had not told the chairman about my plan so he had no idea of the thoughts that were racing through my head right now. Besides that, what was Zero thinking? I had utterly betrayed him, just using him when I needed and dumping him when I was done. __The sound of a chair moving fiercely broke the icy silence. Looking up suddenly, I saw Zero standing, hurt clearly expressing itself in his violet eyes. I looked up suddenly, startled at the unexpected noise. Catching my eye, Zero glared at me for a few moments._

_"Excuse me. I've finished eating," he said curtly, taking off abruptly._

After that, everything had just gone downhill. Could he possibly be angry because I was going to the ball with Kaname-senpai? Could I have been so blind all this time? No way! I mentally shook my head. It couldn't be because of that! What did it matter to him if I went with Kaname-senpai? We were only pretending after all! Sure, the two vampires hated one another beyond control but Kaname-senpai had no connection to the relationship between Zero and I! So why did I get this weird feeling inside every time Zero and I were together?

Suddenly, without warning, Zero straightened himself and tore off in the opposite direction without as much as a single word. I stared after him, my mouth slightly ajar. Now if anything was telling of his emotions at the time, that was. He was angry, and I had no idea why. What could have incited such fierce anger? Continuing to stare in astonishment as he strode out the front door, I felt a familiar wave of guilt come back with a pang. I really had been horrible. Using him like that for my relationship with Kaname-senpai and dumping him when I was done. He had every right to be angry at me.

"Good evening, Yuuki-san," a deep husky voiced greeted, cutting through my thoughts, making me turn abruptly. Kain-senpai stood before me, waiting, in a slightly bored manner, for my reply.

"Kain-senpai!" I said in a surprised tone. "Good evening!" I glanced toward the dance floor, silently inquiring why he wasn't dancing with the hundreds of girls desperately awaiting him. If he had caught onto my unspoken question, he made no attempt to answer it. Instead, he said, "I've been asked by Kaname-sama to escort you. He would like to see you as soon as possible," he stated in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

I stared ahead blankly. Kaname-senpai? I had momentarily forgotten why I was here in the first place. "Uhhh... Yeah!" I replied awkwardly, "Sure!" Eyeing me for another moment, Kain-senpai turned, and without a word, led the way across the ballroom. I followed on in silence, casting nervous glances at the blazing, jealous girls surrounding me. A barrage of simultaneous glares bore through me. Being extra careful to keep a considerable distance between the fiery-haired vampire and myself, I continued to follow him out of the large ballroom.

Suddenly, Kain-senpai stilled himself. I looked up at his stiff back, startled. Without turning, he spoke. "Kaname-sama is waiting for you, beyond these doors. Please go." Without further comment, the vampire turned and strode past me, leaving me staring ahead in surprise.

The spot where he had been revealed a gap where the entrance to the balcony stood. The way led out to a large concrete porch filled with total darkness. Overhead, the bright, full moon cast its brilliant reflection onto the stone floor, easing my nerves a bit with its comforting, pure light. At the edge of the patio was a tall man leaning over onto the low wall surrounding the balcony. His back was facing me, his chin encased in open palms. The soft, cocoa-brown hair and elegant appearance left me with no doubt as to who it was.

"Kaname-senpai!" I called out. Almost automatically, as if expecting it, his back straightened and he turned to face me, his eyes sparkling.

"Yuuki," his eyes shone with happiness, as did his matching tone of voice. "I'm happy that you came." he made his way towards me, stretching out his palm in a princely manner.

Subconsciously, I took a step back, suddenly nervous over his approach. At this unexpected cautious move of mine, he stopped, his face beginning to lose its enthusiasm, as he gazed at me strangely. There was a thick silence for a few moments. My mind raced at top speed, as I tried my hardest to quickly think of a valid explanation. My mind strayed back to his comment just seconds earlier, trying to veer the topic of conversation.

Laughing awkwardly, I said, "Well, I told you I'd come didn't I?" I gave him a half-heartedly smile. He made no move to return the gesture.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he said in a dampened voice, "Yes. Yes, you did." Without each passing moment, the silence and tension thickened. The awkwardness that had begun to form minutes ago was growing at an alarmingly fast rate. For a few more seconds, Kaname-senpai just stared at me, his eyes filled with sadness and—could it be?—loneliness? Was I really that special to Kaname-senpai? Finally, he formed, what seemed to me, a somewhat forced smile. "Yes," he said in a distant voice. "You promised you would come," he repeated. For reasons unbeknownst to me, he seemed to be reassuring himself most of all.

He raised his face to look directly at me, and once again flashed me a smile, this time a tad warmer. I sighed with relief. For a while after that, I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or what to say. I looked towards the ground. Could I really be the inflictor of such pain? Was Kaname-senpai in that much pain because of me? But I had agreed to come to the ball, so even if he still had no idea that Zero was never my boyfriend in the first place, he should be a tad happy, shouldn't he?

"Yuuki," I heard his deep voice call out. I looked up at him in surprise. His open palms were, once again, outstretched towards me. "You look beautiful." he said, his voice gentle and caring once again.

Reddening slightly, I smiled back, staring unabashedly into his pale palm. Lowering his arm slowly, I placed my hand carefully into his. Blushing madly by now, I stared over at our joined arms, so as to avoid his gaze. His vampiric arms felt frigid, like he had just come inside from a blizzard. Yet something kept me from releasing.

"Will you dance with me, Yuuki?" he cut through my observing thoughts. I looked up suddenly, and found myself trapped by his deep, chocolate eyes. His shoulder-length, brown hair, hung messily over his forehead and down his neck. Without my noticing, he had brought himself so close to me, that I could feel his every hot breath on my face.

"Will you dance with me?" he repeated patiently. I blinked twice, my figure frozen with shock. Me, dance with Kaname-senpai? Was this really happening? Excitement mixed with trepidation ran through me. It's been years since we've danced. Sure, I've been secretly, or maybe not so secretly, in love with Kaname-senpai since that day ten years ago.

At first, I thought that my love stemmed from the fact that it was because I owed him my life. But as I grew older, I realized that it was deeper, a love that came from the heart. I am truly in love with Kaname-senpai. But if this was true, then what of Zero? Why did he always manage to pop himself into my head whenever I was with Kaname-senpai? Could it mean something?_ Did_ it mean something?

Kaname enveloped his palms in mine a bit tighter, silently reminding me of his request. His hands began to slightly warm, his close proximity and gentleness making my thoughts even more incoherent. I looked up suddenly, staring at Kaname-senpai and remembered that he was still waiting for my answer.

He was looking at me expectantly, not lifting his gaze from me in the slightest. Something about his stoic facial expression made me feel forced to answer. "Of course," I said, realizing on cue that I had not stuttered in the slightest. On the contrary, my voice was strong and confident, so unlike many other times in the past.

If Kaname-senpai noticed my sudden spurt of confidence, he didn't mention it. His smile became wide and almost joyful as he pulled me towards him. Without turning, he pulled the two of us, into the center of the porch, the lanterns continuing to flicker around us. Immediately, every nerve in my body began to react, as if making up for my amazing confidence before. He gazed at me, his cinnamon eyes brimming with unmistakable love. Even I could notice it in an instant. Kaname-senpai did indeed love me. Why, I don't know why, and perhaps it'll be a while before I find out. But for now, it was clear. Kaname senpai loved me. The question is now, am I in love with Kaname senpai?

I slapped myself inwardly. Of course I am! He's Kaname-senpai after all! The handsome, young vampire who saved me ten years ago. That is not a question. Zero, on the other hand, I just feel brotherly love towards him. I'm sure of it! After all, I had grown up with him for four years. Zero is my brother and dear friend. That is all.

Kaname-senpai pulled me gently, jolting me out of my thoughts. I noticed that I was leaning against his warm chest. Turning Crimson, I looked up at his perfect face. It was shining. His arms unexpectedly curled around my waist pulling me towards him, into a fierce hug. After a few seconds, his grasp began to get fierce, possessive even, as if he didn't want to let me go. Not now and not ever. My heart was racing. What was he doing? Was he trying to show me something?

Suddenly, as if reading my thoughts, he began to speak. "Yuuki, there is something I must tell you." He paused, making me feel every beat hammer inside my heat. Something... to tell me? "I think you know this already... but I lov-" he was cut off abruptly mid-sentence.

Without any idea whatsoever of what I was doing, like something was controlling me from inside, my hands thrust forward. Kaname-senpai's grasp around me was ripped harshly, as my arms lay outstretched before me, pushing him backward a few feet. My eyes remained shut firmly, my hands implanted before me.

What. Have. I. Done. What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE? I ruined the moment for which I've been waiting almost my entire life. I did it! No one else ruined it for me. It was me! The whole purpose of my plan was just completely destroyed and uprooted. And I didn't even know what I was doing at the time! What _was_ I doing? What was I _thinking_? It felt as if something inside me was ruling me and subconsciously, I had pushed Kaname-senpai away before he was able to say the fated words. It was as if something inside me refused to hear those words. But how could that be? Oh, stupid, idiotic me! How could I have done such a thing?

Finally, I slowly opened one eye to peek at Kaname-senpai. As soon as I got a tiny glimpse, both my eyes shot open, becoming wide as saucers. His smile had disappeared, the happiness replaced with a deep, deep hurt mixed with other emotions I could not quite place. Anger? Could it be? But it was channeled towards someone else. Yes. There was definitely anger mixed with...Jealousy? But towards who? Was he not angry with me at all?

Not before long, I realized my hands were still outstretched before me. Quickly, I lunged them down to my sides. I looked up at Kaname-senpai, guilt filling up my insides, knowing my insensitivity had gone too far this time. I really had to take the toll for my actions. Somehow, I knew I had to say something. But what to say at such a time?

"I'm... I'm sorry, Kaname s-senpai," I was back to stuttering, more from the guilt then sheer nervousness of being around him. He said nothing, just staring at me with eyes filled with undeniable pain. What have I done? With all my heart, I wished to just disappear at that moment. Unable to bear myself any longer, I turned on my heels and began to run as fast as humanly possible in the opposite direction.

Before I could make my way very far, a hand grabbed mine, stopping me suddenly in my tracks. I noticed that the palm had returned to its original, frigid, vampiric temperature as I felt it envelop mine. Grasping my palm tightly, it refused to let me go. My back still towards him, I waited, almost afraid of what he had to say.

He spoke, his voice cold, all evidence of love had flown away in seconds. "Are you in love with Kiryuu?" he asked, venom dripping with every word said. My mind went completely blank. Me, in love with Zero? Why would he even think that? Zero is like a brother to me! He is my dear friend and protector. Could it actually be that I was in love with Zero? My mind flashed back to the night of Ichijou-senpai's birthday party...

I_ looked up at Kaname-senpai, fear slowly entering my heart. "Pureblood?" I whispered. Purebloods were the ones who killed Zero's entire family and were known to be the most feared among vampires. The vampires among vampires. Was that why the night class students revered Kaname-senpai, going as far as to use the suffix 'sama'? I tried to conceal my fear so that Kaname-senpai would not notice._

_He smiled softly, with a tinge of sadness. "It seems that this is the first you've heard that, Yuuki," My hands were starting to shake. "Are you frightened?"_

_I looked down. "A little... I mean..." I was at a loss for words. The distant sound of footsteps was getting nearer. Zero came up the steps, and took his place on my other side and held my hand tightly. I felt my eyes widen. As I glanced over at him. It was a rare sight. Very rare indeed._

_"Z-Zero!" I said, startled. He was smiling warmly._

_"You said you were scared, right? So I'm holding your hand. That's what lovers do, right?" My hands stopped shaking. I stared deep into his violet eyes. They had a comforting glint in them..._

And the time he met his long lost twin brother, Ichiru after so long of thinking he was dead...

_Zero's fists clenched as I could sense him beginning to get threatening. "What have you done to Yuuki?" he said again, through clentched teeth. Panic rose from within me. What have I done? What was going to happen?_

_"Nothing, nothing." Ichiru said, mocking him with his casual voice. "I was just escorting her back to the dorms. Is that so wrong?"_

_Suddenly, Zero grabbed my forearm and pulled me fiercely towards him, resting my head onto his hard heated chest. My heart hammered at his closeness. What was he doing? "I will protect this girl! Don't you dare do anything to her!"_

My eyes began to widen. Is it possible that I'm in love with Zero? Something about the way I had just pushed Kaname-senpai away when he was about to confess made me feel that this was true. Without meaning to, and of course, without wanting to, Kaname-senpai had opened my eyes to the truth.

I'm in love with Zero. The boy I had grown up with. The one who possessed an intense hatred towards other vampires including himself. The one who always cared for me and protected me in every way he could. The one who actually agreed to my ridiculous plan. The sheer shock of everything being thrown on me made me sick with dizziness. Without thinking, I removed my hand from between Kaname-senpai's grasp and began to run once again in the opposite direction. Gathering all my strength, I ran towards the doors, away from Kaname-senpai, away from the patio, and perhaps away from reality.

I felt his eyes bore through me as I tore off in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry..." I whispered, closing my eyes tightly for a few moments. "I'm... sorry... Kaname-senpai..."

Tearing past the dancing couples, I continued to run past the buffet-filled tables, trying to get out as quickly as possible. As I ran across the gigantic ballroom, I felt every pair of eyes following my movements across the ballroom. Especially the vampires, their eyes were especially angry, as though they knew what I had done to their Pureblood king. Or was that just my imagination?

Suddenly, I froze midtracks, trying my hardest to ignore the prying stares. A tall, figure stood on the side, along and glaring at his surroundings, not seeming to notice all my individualized attention. His elegant, starlight hair hung handsomely beside his face. Even from afar, I could see that his violet eyes were a bit less stormy then before. He didn't seem to notice me in the slightest. Something was definitely on his mind. Somehow his presence, though not acknowledging me, gave me the ultimate comfort. Without thinking, I gave forth a heartrending cry, heading towards my protector.

The moment my body touched his, I flung my arms around Zero in a breath-stopping hug and buried my head in his black blazer. For a split second, I felt a rush of shock coarse through him, as he looked down at me in surprise. For a while, we just stood there motionless, my arms wrapped around him and his eyes staring down at me in startlement.

On the spur of the moment, I felt his hands slowly move from his sides, unleashing themselves from within my clutches. Immediately, a mental note of caution rose in my mind. Perhaps he wanted me to move away, disliking my close proximity. After all, I'm just his adoptive sister. I'm the one who's in love with him. Not the opposite way around. But that was still a question. Was I truly in love with Zero? Could that be the reason my legs carried me to him, in a desperate search of comfort?

I could sense his arms begin to rise higher and higher, cautiously but gently. What was he doing? Unexpectedly, he rested them on my shoulder, smiling down at me kindly. My heart began to race. Could he be trying to comfort me? I stood frozen, unwilling to move, in the fear that Zero would remove his arms from on my shoulders. Self-consciously, I realized that for a second I had completely forgotten about our large audience. For a second, I unburied myself to look over at the hundreds of eyes staring us down.

Suddenly, Zero pulled me closer and surrounded me with a bone-cracking hug, pulling me tighter and closer to him. My eyes grew wider then I even thought physically possible, as my head crashed into his chest once more. My face felt like a oven, all the blood rushing in my nervousness. I was utterly shell-shocked. When had Zero ever hugged me like this? He had always been a source of comfort but never so openly and obviously. Without my realizing it, tears began to stream down my cheeks.

"Don't worry, Yuuki. I'm here," he whispered into my ear. "I'm right here by your side." With those words, a smile broke onto my face. The comfort I desperately needed had arrived, and in the best way possible. Zero raised his head slightly and looked me straight in the eye. His beautiful irises shining. Lifting his forearm, he gently rubbed a tear sliding down my rosy cheeks. My smile grew wider. I am definitely in love with Zero. There was no question about it. But there is still the ultimate question. Whom do I prefer? Kaname Kuran or Zero Kiryuu?

A**N: What a question! But at least she finally realized that she loved Zero! Sorry if I disappointed you that she still thinks she's in love with Kaname. But Yuuki's not that smart! :D Things have to happen gradually if you know what I mean. Now she just needs to find out who she prefers! As for that, patience my friends. It's a key virtue! It'll happen soon. But the White Ball's not over! More drama in the next chapter...**

**NEXT CHAPTER: I WANT TO SAVE HIM!**

**Look forward to it!**

**Oh and review! Please? It makes me sooooooooooo happy! Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this drama-filled chapter! The next chap's almost ready so it shouldn't be long! **


	10. I Want to Save Him!

**Chapter Ten**

**AN:**** Hey Everyone! Thanks for all ur amazing reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed the Zeki part last chapter! U guys are the best as always! Sorry again about the late update. T.T Someone I know got into a car accident and I've been busy. Thank G-d she's fine now, but its been hard. You know, visiting her and all… But I hope you're all enjoying the story, because it will get finished! Anyway, Thanks a ton to...**_DofD, ayamiko95, XxSakura-HimexX, __Aslickain Kiant__, __Jojororo__, __Starlight, __Whitewolfffy__, __radio inbox__, __Essouffle Amour__, __Punki, __CosplayerMew__, __MKmusic__, __alexzhou04_**. ****Your reviews make me AMAZINGLY HAPPY!****Enjoy the chap 'N Please review! I couldn't get in touch with my beta again, so sorry and pls alert me of any mistakes. Thanks N' Enjoy!**

**Recap**** from last chap****: Yuuki has gone to the White Day Ball with Kaname, but after he almosts confesses, she runs away, straight into Zero's arms, and realizes that she is in love with Zero. What will happen next? Well, read on and find out!**

**Disclaimer:**** This site is called FANfiction for a reason, right?**

**I Want to Save Him!**

I stood still, my mind blank and my frame frozen in place, refusing to budge. I am in love with Zero. I am in love with my adoptive brother. But what about Kaname-senpai? Am I no longer in love with him, my savior from so many years ago? My surroundings faded around me as these thoughts continued to plague my mind. I had loved Kaname-senpai for over ten years. What had caused these feelings to diminish? Had they faded or was it just my imagination? Could it be that I had always harbored these feelings toward Zero without even realizing it?

For a while, I noticed absolutely nothing in the ballroom surrounding us. It was as if Zero and I were the only existences there, fenced in by nothingness. I felt as if the hundreds of students circling us barely even mattered. The only thing that mattered now is being encircled by Zero's comforting arms.

Finally, after a long while, I slowly unburied myself from Zero's warm chest and gazed around me in slight confusion. Hundreds of eyes were regarding me curiously. Slowly, the realization came back to me. I was in the Cross Academy Ballroom on the night of the White Day Ball. And I had just utterly rejected Kaname-senpai and ran willingly into Zero's arms in front of the entire student body.

A blush rose to my cheeks, tinting them slightly. I tried to release myself, but somehow it seemed impossible. Zero's arms were implanted around me somewhat possessively, just as Kaname-senpai's had just minutes before. It gave me a feeling of ultimate comfort, causing the tension in my stomach to relax a bit.

The soft music continued playing in the background, making me grin happily. Looking up at Zero with a soft smile, I noticed his eyes suddenly looking stormy again. But he was no longer looking down at me, instead he was staring over my head, in the opposite direction. His eyes were growing more and more furious with each passing second, the peaceful violet quickly changing into a stormy, dark purple.

Without turning, I was able to sense that something had happened, something that Zero did not take the slightest pleasure from. Struggling slightly, I tried to release myself and to find the source of the undivided attention, but to no avail. Who could it be standing on the other side?

"Kiryuu-kun," an all-too familiar voice began, venom dripping with each word spoken. "I see you were able to comfort Yuuki." For reasons unbeknownst to me, the speaker did not seem happy of this fact. I looked up at Zero, his forehead scrunched angrily and his eyes narrowed menacingly.

Without even a glance, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt who was standing behind me. Zero's grip around me tightened, until I felt a need to gasp for breath. But I did nothing to unleash myself as his arms began to tremble with rage at the sight of Kaname-senpai standing opposite him. Zero was clearly trying his hardest to keep the emotions threatening to vent, under his control.

This drove me back to the life-long question. What was causing Zero and Kaname-senpai to become such fierce enemies? Could it have been something in the past unconnected to me? Or could I have invoked some type of rage inside the two of them the let loose whenever they caught sight of each other?

A frigid voice cut through my wondering thoughts. "I am somehow inclined to thinking that the one who Yuuki spent the night with, is the reason for her need for comfort." The anger that had been previously portrayed on Zero's face had slightly abated with these words, replaced with hints of disgust. My heart began to beat erratically. Had he figured out that something had happened between Kaname-senpai and I? But it hadn't been Kaname-senpai's fault at all! It was I who had caused all the distress. But how to tell Zero that?

Loud footsteps broke through the still silence, the atmosphere becoming more strained with each passing moment. As if sensing the tension, the music had somehow stopped playing, the only sound being made was that of the tapping footsteps, getting closer and closer.

Before I knew what was happening, Kaname-senpai stood before us, teeth clenched, and inner fury at its threshold. His cocoa brown eyes were stormy and filled to the brim with utter contempt, glaring at Zero furiously. I shot a quick glance at Zero, who had made no effort to disguise his hatred for the vampire.

For what seemed like hours, the two vampires continued glaring at each other, giving off auras of serious danger. They seemed ready to kill each other at any moment. And Kaname-senpai had plenty of that power, being who he was. He could kill the Level D in a matter of seconds. The fear began to rise from within me. Zero was still just an ex-human. He stood no chance against the powerful pureblood.

Suddenly, the memory flashed back inside my mind from that night so many years ago. _"You're a disgrace to all vampires..."_ No! He could kill Zero. He _would _kill Zero! Without thinking, I flung myself before Zero, facing Kaname-senpai, my arms outstretched at my sides in a protective manner. My dark brown eyes were defiant, glaring at the pureblood . I would not let him hurt Zero. No matter what happened!

Kaname-senpai lowered his eyes to gaze down at me, his expression beginning to soften. "Yuuki..." He said, his voice almost sounding like he was pleading with me. His eyes suddenly lost their harshness, as he gave me a long, fixed stare, making me melt almost immediately.

"Please..." I whispered, staring down at the floor. My eyes began to brim with tears, "Please... Don't hurt Zero... Don't hurt him..." Keeping my eye focused on the cold, marble floor, I received no hint whatsoever of the emotions passing through the eyes of either vampire standing beside me. "He is still at the Level D stage. He won't stand a chance." I paused. I was aware that my words my be hurting Zero deeply. After all, I was clearly stating that he was no match for his archenemy; that Kaname-senpai would win without much of a fight. But nonetheless, I continued speaking, knowing that this might be the only way to save Zero. "Please, for my sake, don't hurt him." My voice rose as I grew desperate. Finally raising my eyes once again, locking my expression with his, I waited, almost desperately, for his answer.

To my upmost relief, he broke into a soft smile, that seemed somehow a bit sad, like my request had hurt him somewhat. "Alright, Yuuki," he finally answered. "I will listen to your request, but only because it is Yuuki's. But," he paused dramatically, glaring up at Zero, his eyes hardening once more, and his lips curving into a thin line. "If as much as a hair on Yuuki's head is harmed," his tone rose, becoming dangerous and threatening, "The one responsible will not be spared. And as I said before Kiryu-kun, it is your job to protect Yuuki. You are being kept alive for that reason only."

My heart began to beat erratically as a shiver ran up my spine. Zero, was being kept alive by in order... to protect me? Was that the reason why Kaname-senpai had not killed Zero, although it maybe took him tremendous effort to hold himself back from attacking Zero at any given moment. But that led back to the eternal question. What was causing the immense hatred between the two vampires?

Although always exceptionally gentle with me, Kaname-senpai was usually much more dangerous and frightening around others. Especially when it came to my well-being. Although usually kind to all, considering his mighty social stature, he gave off an aura that demanded not to get too close. Towards all that is, expect me. But why did Kaname-senpai, the king of all the vampire race, treat me, a mere human with such kindness? And why, while being kind to all others, did he habor an exceptional hatred for Zero? And, why had I rejected him, before he had a chance to reveal his feelings? Did I not love Kaname-senpai with all my heart?

The room around me began to spin, my head aching with all the questions awakening inside my mind. Oh, why must my life be so dramatic? I want to live a normal life, as a regular Day Class girl at Cross Academy! Hammers were pounding relentlessly against my skull. The many curious onlookers and the tables beside them, began to all sway back and forth. The scene was becoming more and more unclear and blurry with each passing second.

I quickly placed my palms against my temples, hoping to calm the sick dizziness rising in my head. Through the spinning, I could make out a hazy image of Zero and Kaname-senpai gazing at me with worry. From afar, I heard a deep voice questioning in concern, but in all my dizziness, I could not make out the question or the voice. The sick feeling kept getting stronger until my body began to waver. My eyes began to close on their own, blocking out the scene in front of me. Oh no! I couldn't pass out now. I had already done so before Zero once before. I would seem even more like the weakling I already was.

Summoning the little strength I had left inside me, I forced my eyes open, balling my palms into tight fists and began tearing across the ballroom. Nearly toppling in my rush, I continued running towards the nearest exit, the dizziness continuing to pound at my mind. Paying no attention to the relentless stares, I ran and ran until I made my way out of the ballroom.

Panting heavily, I went right into the darkness that lay before me, trying to suppress the fear of what lay in the unknown. Feeling like a blind man, I began to slow down, so as not to injure myself in the blackness. The tree branches were being swung along with the gust, the leaves softly clashing together. Gradually, the wind began to slow, leaving the area surrounding me in unpentrable silence. I glanced around nervously for what seemed like hours, afraid to make another move.

Suddenly, I heard the rustling of bushes beside me. I froze in fear, waiting for what lay in store. Could it be just the wind, or something worse? An animal? A vampire? Or worse, perhaps...? My heart began to race, my knees pounding against each other, and my insides quaking with fear. No. It couldn't't be… A starving Level E...?

The rustling began to get louder, doing nothing to calm my fears. Through the darkness, I could see a figure emerge from between the trees. My breathing was getting heavily. It was definitely a person. But what kind of person walks freely around academy grounds this late around? And all the students aught to be by the ball right now. So who could it be?

The figure began to make its way in my direction. Filled to the brim with fear, I took a few careful steps back. What could that thing- whatever it was – want from me? My… Blood?

"Good Evening, Yuuki," A familiar feminine voice broke the still silence. My eyebrows creased in concentration, my mind quickly trying to make out the source of the noise. "I'm sorry, Yuuki. I hope I didn't scare you, sneaking up like that. I am Maria-San."

For a second, I tried to decipher whether the person standing there was indeed telling the truth or not. Through the darkness, I could slightly make out a slender figure adorned with long, moonlight hair. Immediately, I sighed with relief, knowing that she was telling the truth. It was only Maria-san. But what could she want with me at this hour? Something seemed extremely suspicious. And Zero had warned me to keep away from her. I musn't forget that. I had to find some way to get away from her. Fast.

"Why don't we talk somewhere else?" her voice shattered my thoughts. What would I do? How to get away? "It's surely very uncomfortable to talk under such circumstances, considering you are a human," she continued.

Turning on her feet, she began walking in the opposite direction, clearly expecting me to follow. I wanted desperately to shout no and run back to the refuge of the banquet hall. Even if knowing that Zero and Kaname-senpai would waiting for me there. But something in the way she said it made me feel almost forced to follow, like it was an order I could not refuse.

Feeling almost like a servant following his master, my legs began to move in the opposite direction. Was this the power of a vampire, to make others obey? But that was only the power of the purebloods and Maria-san was not a pureblood... Was she?

Obediently following the young vampire, I kept casting nervous glances right and left, somehow more afraid then usual of the academy forest's unknown creatures. Continuing to trace her steps, we walked until we reached the edge of the forest.

Finally, catching a small glimmer of light, I sighed with relief as the Night Dorm building came into view. The large, gloomy building was decked with silence, only one small light coming from one of the higher windows. Staring at it, I assumed it to be Maria-san's room, as the rest of the Night Class were still at the party. It seemed even more now, that she haden't attended the party at all, rather choosing to remain alone in the confinement of her room. Suddenly, I was reminded to get another look at her now that we were out of the blackness.

"Come, Yuuki," she gestured, her vampire figure now much clearer and more visible than it had been moments earlier. She was wearing a short, elegant black dress, with a black bow perched in her starlight hair. Her white hair stood out very clearly, clashing against her dark-colored dress. Had she gone to the ball after all? I didn't get a chance to think about it more, as she began skipping eagerly towards the door of the building. Proceeding to open the door, she stepped inside, barely even glancing back at me.

Shutting the door carefully behind me, I followed her into the large dorm lobby. Looking around, it was confirmed in my mind that indeed all the night class students went to the ball. The couches placed towards the center of the room which the vampires were usually found on, were empty.

Suddenly, I heard the soft echo of Maria-san's footsteps, reminding me to hurry up and follow the young vampire. I took off after her, quickly following her, as she skipped up the wide dorm steps. As she stepped off the stairway, and turned into the dark, unlit hallway, she began to slow down. Striding down the hall towards our unknown destination, she barely shot a glance to either side, choosing rather to focus ahead of her.

As we neared a narrow doorway at the end of the hallway, Maria-san stopped and turned to face the door's entrance. Following her lead, I immediately halted and waited for her to enter what seemed to be her dorm room. Slowly, she turned the knob and entered the large bedroom.

Stepping in after her, I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. It had hardly changed since the last time I had been here. The room was dimly lit, most of the light coming from the small window at the far end of the wall. The room seemed to belong only to her, as there was just one bed instead of the usual two. The bed was quite large, even for Academy standards, adorned with white, lacy bedding. In the center of the room, there was a large, scarlet couch. Other than that, the room was pretty much empty of any furniture. Seemingly, Maria-san did not need to live on much, or else was not planning on staying at Cross Academy for very long.

Maria-san sat herself down on the chair opposite her bed. Nervousness began to rise suddenly from within me. She probably wanted to ask me what my answer was since our last visit. It seemed like ages since I was last in this room and Maria-san was making her request of me. But what should I answer I still haden't thought about it yet. Give my blood…to Maria-san? It would save Zero. My mind was racing. Oh! What should I do?

"Please leave now," Maria-san cut into my thoughts, her tone leveled, though at the same time, it carried that same commanding tone she usually had. I looked at her startled for a moment. Was she talking to me? Although her eyes were still focused on me, they had a far away look in them, making it seem like she was addressing someone around curiously. I didn't notice anyone else in the room.

Right on cue, from within the darkness, a figure emerged. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out in the dim light, who it could be. Whoever it was, was tall, his back straight, and seemed to be looking straight at us from behind the curious mask he was wearing. Immediately, I got a notion onto who it was. The moonlight hair and white porcelain skin was unmistakable. Zero? No. It couldn't be. Then who was it? Somehow, it wasn't clicking. I just couldn't figure out who it was.

"You may remove your mask, and please do what I have told you." Maria-san spoke again, this time, her voice more kind and less commanding-like. The person, still standing in the far corner of the room, began to edge forward, slowly removing his mask as he walked.

"Of course. Right away, Maria-sama," he said, bowing deeply. My breathing stopped, and my entire frame froze in spot. I watched, with slightly-widened eyes, as he left the room. Of course! Ichiru-kun! Why haden't I figured it out before. He had been here on my last visit.

"Well now, Yuuki-san," she began again, as if there had been no interruption. Her attention was now focused completely, her expression much more serious than before. "Have you made your decision?"

My mind began to race at an abnormally fast pace at those words. So she had asked me to follow her because of that. What should I do, I needed to make my decision now or I would never get the chance to save Zero again. I thought quickly. Was there any other way to save Zero? My mind reflected back to Kaname-senpai's words on the night of Ichijou-senpai's birthday party. A former human will always become a Level E. Always. But Maria-san had said she knew a way of saving Zero. All I had to do was give her my blood. Was that really so bad? At least I would get to save Zero.

I stared up at the Night Class student, trying to find my answer. She stared at me calmly, leaving me to my thoughts and my own decisions. _I can save Zero,_ she had said_, just give me your blood. _ At that moment I knew, my decision was made. I look up at Maria-san and opened my mouth to speak, trying to keep the hesitance out of my voice.

"So you've decided?" she questioned, smiling slightly.

I nodded slowly. "If you can save Zero, then I want to help." Pausing for a moment, I said, "I want you to save him and…" I looked at the floor, now refusing to meet her eye. "And I will give you my blood in exchange."

She smiled slightly once again as she said, "Yes, Yuuki, that is a good decision." Softly taking my hand into hers, she brought it up to her mouth, staring down at it for a long while. Suddenly, she ran her tongue down the top of my palm. I tried to keep my hands from shaking, as she opened her mouth, baring her fangs against my now-balled fist.

Unexpectedly, the words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I'm really glad my blood seems so delicious…" I whispered, almost sub-consciously. She looked up at me in surprise, clearly trying to figure out what I meant. I kept my gaze focused on her. "…Because it can help me save Zero." I finished.

Immediately, her eyes narrowed, her face beginning to contort with anger. She grabbed me suddenly by the forearm and threw me fiercely against the opposite end of the couch. My head banged painfully against the hard scarlet surface, fully awakening my senses to the pain inflicted to my forehead. My head began to throb as the pain began to spread down to the rest of my body. My eyes remained shut for a minute, utterly shocked by the impact of the blow. Finally, I looked up, startled, at Maria-san, who was staring at me with now obvious contempt.

"The one who made him feel so much despair…" she said, her lavender-gray eyes growing darker by the second, "…was me." My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. What could she possibly mean? She was the cause of all his pain? But… But… she wasn't a pureblood. How could it possibly be? Was she the one who had bitten Zero on that fateful night four years ago? Did that explain Zero's telling me to stay away from her?

Suddenly, the door opened slowly, making me turn suddenly to look in the opposite direction. Ichiru-kun was standing at the entrance of the doorway, his face once again covered by the silver mask. He was holding a tall woman in his arms, staring straight into the room at Maria-san, without saying a word. The woman he was holding was incredibly beautiful. Extremely tall, with long, flowing white hair, cherry-blossom eyes, a porcelain-white face, she gave off an aura of beauty and power, so unlike that of regular humans. Who could she be?

"That is my real body…"

X X X X X

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! I'm really going to try and update soon so please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Thanks to you all! **

**NEXT CHAPTER: The Madly Blooming Princess**


	11. The Madly Blooming Princess

**Chapter Eleven**

**AN: ****Hey Everyone! Thank you all for the reviews! They make me eager to write! Huge Hugs to… **_txjazz1863, CosplayerMew, purplestars11, ayamiko95, yansky, animeloverxxx, WhiteWolffy, XxSakura-HimexX, This iz Pointless, xXthenextbookwormXx, Aslickain Kiant_,_animeguysaremylife_

**Thanks to you all! And thanks tons to my awesome beta, This Iz Pointless! *Bone-cracking Hug* You rock, girl! Enjoy the chap everyone! **

**Disclaimer:**** I own Zero! And Aidou! And Shiki! And Kain! And Ichijou! And Kaname! And Vampire Knight! Awwwwwwwww…. T.T Sorry I don't. Because if I did, no doubt about it, Yuuki would've chose Zero!**

**Recap:**** Yuuki has run away from the White Day Ball and met Maria, who has taken her up to her dorm. About to make her decision to give Maria her blood and help Zero, the door opens and Ichiru stands there holding a tall, moonlight-haired woman in his arms. **

**The Madly Blooming Princess**

"This is my real body."

Every extremity in my body went numb and I froze in place. What could she possibly mean? Was that not her real body? But how could that be? And what of Maria-san's words from before? _The one who made Zero feel so much despair was me. _Could Maria-san, or possibly the woman standing before me, be the pureblood who killed the entire Kiryuu family?

Maria-san, or whoever it was inside her body, strode towards Ichiru-kun and gently placed her hand onto the woman's palm. Immediately, the woman's eyes opened, revealing irises the color of cherry blossoms. Startled at the corpse's sudden awakening, I stared in awe as she smiled softly at me. Then, raising her head up, the woman brought Maria-san's face towards hers, their cheeks now touching. Enclosing their palms, the two spoke together, both smiling and speaking in the same manner, "This is the real me, Yuuki."

Their joined hands slowly released, as their faces separated. At their sudden break of contact, Maria-san's body fell to the ground, with a loud thud. I stared in startled shock at the now-empty shell lying before me. Her body was now lying on the floor, her eyes closed, her figure unmoving. Barely paying the slightest bit of attention to the lifeless body, the tall moonlight-haired woman strode towards the couch and sat herself down, her eyes still set upon me.

"Come Yuuki. Sit yourself beside me." She gestured toward the empty space beside her, the large chair's scarlet material creasing slightly under her. Carefully, I placed one foot in front of the other taking slow, meticulous steps. Who could she be? How had she had the power to possess the body of another? And what was going to happen to Maria-san? Or perhaps whoever was standing before me was indeed Maria-san, and the lifeless figure at the other edge of the room, was an unnamed vampire whom she had taken hold of for the time being. My mind was spinning with unrelenting questions just begging to be answered.

Gazing at me, the beauty watched as I took my place beside her, trying not to meet her piercing cherry eyes. As soon as I sat down, she began to speak. "Now that I am no longer possessing Maria's body, the circumstances change slightly."

I raised my eyes to look up at her, fear mixed with curiosity radiating in my brown eyes. Maria-san's words still rang clear in my mind. _"The one who made Zero feel so much despair was me." _Did that mean Maria-san was really of Pureblood descent? But then why was she so weak and sickly? And why did the other Night Class students not address her as Maria-sama, as they did Kaname-senpai? Something just didn't make sense, like I was missing an important piece of the puzzle.

But her words did explain slightly why Zero was so insistent in me keeping away from Maria-san. He must have somehow known that she was connected to the woman who had caused him so much sorrow and misery. Ichiru-kun, for some unknown reason, must've left his family on the night Zero's parents were killed.

Trying to keep the fear hidden from my voice, I questioned cautiously, "But what did Maria-san mean when she said…when she said that she was the one who caused all of Zero's suffering..." I looked down for an awkward second, then back into the woman's penetrating eyes. "…When she said she was the reason for Zero's despair?"

She gazed into my eyes, her eyes giving off emotions of slight pity, like I was some clueless child. "That was not Maria-san," she said, and paused for a moment. "It was I who said that. I have been taking possession of her body since I entered Cross Academy." Her eyes became suddenly cruel and filled with vice. "I am Shizuka Hio, the pureblood who killed the Kiryuu hunter clan."

My heart began thumping at an abnormally swift rate. So that was the reason that Zero had mandated me to keep away from the Night Class student. Was she indeed the Pureblood who turned Zero into a vampire? But that would mean if she had bit me… I shuddered and forcibly pushed those thoughts out my mind.

"What is so surprising Yuuki?" her voice suddenly grew mockingly. "You may think I'm cruel, but you're being cruel yourself. Your choices make Zero suffer. Even I can see that…" I could feel my eyes widen tremendously. My choices…make Zero suffer? "I heard of your plan, Yuuki; use Zero to get Kaname. Make Kaname jealous by pretending to be Zero's lover, then just toss Zero aside. That's quite smart, I admit, though quite selfish as well. And I expect it succeeded?" She looked at me, waiting for my reply. My face was ghastly white and every limb in my body was unmoving. How could she know about my plan? Her once gentle smile had turned into a sadistic smirk. "You see, Yuuki. You are making him suffer as well, perhaps more than I, putting no thought at all into his own feelings."

I couldn't bear it any longer. My fists clenched into a tight, trembling ball. I wanted to scream, _I know! I know I was incredibly self-centered! I know I paid no attention to Zero's feelings! But I stopped! I cancelled the plan! I cancelled __it!_ But somehow, the words stuck in my throat, refusing to escape. Her brutal words had caused the overwhelming sense of guilt to return. My heart began to ache. But Zero had forgiven me, right? He had embraced me at the Ball, just a short time ago. Did that mean that I was no longer causing him any pain? Or was he concealing all the pain he felt inside, as he had so adeptly done for the past four years?

"But you know, Yuuki, if you help save him from descending to a Level E, he might consider forgetting what you have done." I looked up at the Noble Class vampire. She leaned in, her porcelain face inches from my own. "The offer still stands, Yuuki. Give me your blood and Kiryuu Zero will be saved."

To my surprise, at that moment, my decision became crystal clear. Yes. I'll do it. I will give my blood to Shizuka-san, even if it will rob me of my humanity. I want, with all my heart, to save Zero from the fate he was predestined. My fellow guardian has always been there to protect me and I had done absolutely nothing to repay him. He has always been by my side and the only gratitude he had gotten from me in return was pain and my heartlessness. This may be the only thing I can do for Zero and it may be the only opportunity to help him.

"I'll do it," I whispered, trying my hardest to conceal my dread. "I'll do it… For Zero"

A flash of surprise passed through the vampire's crimson eyes. Had I not been so intent on focusing on Shizuka-san's eyes, I might not have noticed it, for a split second later, the surprise was replaced by a deep satisfaction.

"Yes, Yuuki. This is the right decision. This is the best thing you can do to help Zero." She placed her pale palm gently onto my shoulder and pulled me in closer to her. Her light pink lips twisted into a sadistic smirk as she opened her mouth, her protruding fangs hanging down ominously. My eyes shut themselves tightly in terror, unable to watch the scene taking place before my eyes.

"Wait!" the words emerged from my lips before I had the chance to stop them, as my cinnamon eyes opened once more. Shizuka-san hesitated for a moment before, moving away and lengthening the distance between my defenseless neck and her threatening fangs.

"What?" she asked tiredly, making it clear that she had little patience for what I had to say."Have you changed your decision?" Her gaze gradually fixed itself onto my cocoa eyes. Her lust for my blood was quite obvious, as her eyes glowed a blood-colored scarlet.

"No… but first I need to know. How can you save Zero?" Her expression became restless, almost exasperated at my words. With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to be intently focusing on something. I watched as her face contorted in slight pain and then suddenly, her eyes reopened, the previous deep red, now replaced with a calmer pink color.

"I can give him my blood. If he drinks the blood of his master, the pureblood who transformed him into a vampire, he will not descend into a Level E. Rather he will become a true vampire."

My mind began to race at an alarming velocity. If Zero would drink his vampire master's blood, he would prevent himself from becoming a Level E. But would Zero go to such an extent to lock himself in eternity as the very being he hated most, even if it were to save his life?

The Pureblood began to edge towards me once again, snapping me out of my thoughts. My head jerked to stare at Shizuka-san, who was now leaning against my shoulder, ready and more than willing to turn me into a bloodthirsty beast. Resealing my eyes once more, I locked out the scene before me and attempted to prepare myself for what lay ahead. I could feel her fangs, as sharp as daggers, make slight contact with my skin. I had to concentrate intensely, so as to keep the pace of my breathing steady, and not reveal to Shizuka-san the true extent of my fear.

Suddenly, just as she was about to take her bite, I heard the sound of the door noisily fly open and I heard a frightened voice shout, "Shizuka!" I jolted my head to the side in obvious alarm, and saw Zero standing before us, both hands on the Bloody Rose. His eyes were clouded with a dark, dangerous fury like none I had ever seen before. His hands were trembling, his fingers, touching the trigger and ready to aim. "Get away from Yuuki," he snarled, his lips twisted in a menacing scowl. His stormy eyes, glaring hatefully at the white-haired vampire, were narrowed feverishly. But beneath the anger, I thought I could detect a tad of fear, which was very unusual, for it seemed to me that nothing could ever frighten Zero. Suddenly, it struck me like a lightning bolt what he was going to do.

I shot up, fingering the cold metal tied against the top of my leg. Quickly, I unleashed the Artemis Rod and stood before Shizuka-san. "No, Zero!" I said. "Stand back. I…I have to do this…I have to…"

But it seemed that Zero would not relent. He glared at me and through gritted teeth, he muttered, "Do you know what will happen if that woman bites you?" His voice rose almost to a shout. "Do you know what will happen?"

At these words, my determination to help Zero only swelled. Again, he was always placing my safety before his own. "Yes, Zero. I know." My voice sounding more confident than I truly felt. "But I'm sorry, but I must do this…" Not able to summon the necessary strength to look him in the eye, I spoke down to the floor. "Even if you'll hate me, even if," I gulped, hardly believing the words that I was speaking. "Even if I become a…vampire…I must do this. I'm sorry. So please…just back away. If I give Shizuka-san my blood, she will allow you to drink her blood. I know you'd never want to become a true vampire…But I couldn't bear it if you'd died." I hesitated for a moment, then continued. "You told me that if you ever fall to become a bloodthirsty beast without reason, I must kill you. But I promised I wouldn't let that happen." I stared down the barrel of the hunter's gun and swallowed. Even if the weapon can never harm me, it was still frightening to stare into the face a gun. "I'll give her my blood and then you'll become a true vampire. Even if I become one myself…a vampire…even if you'd hate me…I will still save you Zero… because I need you by my side." I gazed at him hopefully waiting for his reply.

Zero hesitated for a moment, then let the Bloody Rose back down to his side. Looking down at the floor beneath him, seemingly awkward, he mumbled, almost inaudibly, "I could never hate you, Yuuki."

I stared for a few seconds then finally a soft smile crept onto my face. "I'm glad," I whispered. Zero abruptly looked up and for the first time since he had torn into the room, his lavender-gray eyes locked with mine. I could almost detect a faint trace of a smile on his white face, but I wasn't quite sure. Sighing with relief, I lowered my hunter weapon as well, feeling as if a stone had rolled off my heart.

Oh, Zero. Why can't I just tell you that I love you? I'm not sure about my feeling for Kaname-senpai anymore. Why did my feelings for him diminish? Why did I push him away at the White Day Ball, only to run straight into your arms? I know now without a doubt that I love you, Zero. But I just can't say it.

"But I cannot let her drink your blood," Zero said suddenly. I looked up for a moment, startled. "Kuran has warned me that your blood may not, under any circumstances, be drunk by any other vampire other than myself. He has specifically told me that 'that woman'," he spat the name out with disgust, "may not be allowed to do so much as touch you." He broke for a moment, then said, "As much as I hate the Pureblood, I will not watch you become a vampire, Yuuki. No matter what. And," he added, "he has sworn to personally tear me to shreds if I fail."

A soft voice interrupted suddenly. "Zero, it has been a long time." Zero's entire figure gave a sudden vigorous shake at Shizuka-san's voice. Writhing in pain, he collapsed and fell onto his knees, clutching onto himself in agony. His whole body trembled as he tried to take control of himself.

Swiftly, I slipped Artemis back into the wrapping on my leg which held it in place. Running to Zero, I bent down and placed my hand worriedly onto his shoulder. "Zero! Are you okay? Zero!" But he couldn't answer, or even look up at me. The pain seemed to be too great to withstand.

Shizuka-san gave an evil smirk. "That's right, Zero. It has been so long since you heard the sound of your master. Do you feel like obeying me?" she sneered. I glared at her hatefully, wishing more then ever that she would stop making Zero's life more miserable then she already had.

"Come on, Yuuki," Zero stuttered painfully, obviously employing a lot of effort to produce each word. "We have to get out…now." He stood up slowly and, without looking at the Pureblood, grabbed my hand. "I've had enough of Purebloods for one night," he snarled. I glanced toward the woman on the couch. She made no move to stop us.

As I tripped off after him, trying to regain my balance, his arm remained enclosed around mine, the sleeves of my ball dress gathering under the pressure of his arm. I sighed audibly. How would I help Zero now?

X X X X X X

I stumbled into my dorm bedroom, feeling woozy and weak from my action-packed night. Somehow, I doubt anyone else at Cross Academy could've had such a night, even with the Ball going on. Expecting to find Yori sleeping considering the late hour, I plopped down onto my bed with barely a peek in the other direction, my mind still reeling with the events of that night. Zero had sworn that he would not allow Shizuka-san to bite me. But there seemed to be no other way to help him without sacrificing myself as well. But Zero had made his choice very clear. He had absolutely refused to allow me to be bitten by 'that woman', as he called her.

"Yuuki?" a voice disrupted my chain of thought. I glimpsed towards Yori's bed and saw her sitting up, and gazing at me curiously.

"I'm sorry, Yori" I smiled weakly. "You can go back to sleep."

Yori tossed off her thick, white blanket and set her feet down onto the floor. She slipped quickly off her bed and landed herself on mine. "Are you alright, Yuuki?" she asked, her face looking worried.

"Yeah!" I smiled broadly, waving my hand in an offhand manner. "I'm just tired, that's all."

She moved her warm hand across my cheek and showed me her finger. "Your face looks deathly pale. Why are you crying, Yuuki?" I lifted my finger to touch my cheek and was surprised to find it wet. Had I been crying? I had not even felt the tears well up in my eyes, or even run down my face.

Trying to change the topic of conversation, I asked casually, as if nothing at all was wrong, "Did you enjoy the Ball?" she gave me a funny look, knowing full well that I was trying to veer off the topic at hand.

But she made no comment about it. "Yeah. One of the Day Class students asked me to dance with him since, of course, all the girls were waiting on line for the Night Class. I agreed; he seemed pretty sweet and I talked to him a bit."

I grinned broadly "Did you like him?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, he was nice." After a moment, she added with a frown, "I danced with Aidou-senpai as well." My eyebrows shot up. I had known Yori to possess no interest at all in the vampires. "He asked me to dance with him. Not wanting to be rude, I could not refuse. We had an interesting conversation. He told me that I had captured his interest as the only Day Class girl who did not swoon at the sight of him." I smirked, watching intently as she frowned thoughtfully. "I told him that I prefer someone more normal. He got a bit panicky and asked me what I mean by normal." Her pensive frown deepened.

Suddenly, she looked up at me. "I saw what happened between you, Kuran-senpai, and Zero." I groaned noticeably. Who had not see? After all, the entire Cross Academy was there to witness the embarrassing event. At the remembrance of the hunter and his archenemy vampire, I felt tears begin to fill my eyes once more. This time, I was unable to hide them.

"Yuuki! Yuuki! What's wrong?" My best friend leaned in towards me, her wide brown eyes radiating with worry. I was unable to hold myself.

"Oh, Yori! I'm a horrible person! I couldn't even help the person most dear to me. Everyone I come in contact with just gets hurt." My face was streaked with tears, relentlessly pouring down.

"What are you saying?" she asked in confusion.

"Will you be my friend, Yori, even if I become a beast?" her eyebrows creased for a moment before she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Of course, Yuuki. We'll always be friends, no matter what!" I smiled into her shoulder, grateful as anything to have a friend like her. I always felt, since I had known her, that she would always be there for me.

"Thank you, Yori… Thank you…"

X X X X X

**AN: I hope you enjoyed! Please review! Thanks a lot! Oh and sorry there weren't too much new things in this chapter. But the next two or three chapters,(The last ones… Boo Hoo. T.T) will be much better and more new stuff and the plot. Bye! REVIEW!**  
**NEXT CHAPTER: REALIZE**

Look forward to it!


	12. Realize

**Chapter Twelve**

**AN: ****Hey everyone! Well, 'The Plan' is almost done! Just this chapter and one more left. Maybe two. I'm so sad it's almost over T.T Huge Thanks to all my loyal reviewers… **_DofD, animeguysaremylife, This Iz Pointless, XxthenextbookwormxX, purplestars11, starlight,Xxsakura-himexX, ayamiko95, faschia, Aslickant Kaint ! _**And of course to my amazing beta and FF friend, This iz Pointless! Luv ya all! Oh and before I forget, for this chap, like the last, I kept the basic storyline just dialogue and events are changed for the sake of the story. So if something doesn't go exactly as you remember, you'll know why. But you'll like it, I promise! This is an epic chapter! (At least I hope! '^.^ I'm assuming that if ur reading this u like Zeki so u should like it! ) And people asked if there would be a sequel and I'll have you know, YES! There will be! I already have a plot. I'll start on it when this story's gone. I think it's gonna be awesome! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter! Please don't forget to review! **

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned Vampire Knight I'd be awesomely rich, totally famous, and an amazing artist, which I'm not! **

**Realize**

"It's been a while since the last time we went to town together," I squealed enthusiastically. Skipping eagerly through the cobblestone streets, I felt the warm late March winds breeze right over me. Now that spring had finally arrived, we could finally go out and enjoy the town's sights. "I'm glad the chairman asked us to help him out! Let's look around!" I shot a grin to Yori, who was standing beside me, calmly watching my sprees through the streets. She smiled softly, nodding in silence.

The tens of shopping stalls situated around us, each one piled on with its own array of goods, only added to my excitement. Hopefully, Yori would be a more animated shopping partner than Zero. It seemed to me that, although the dependable and good friend Yori always was, she didn't seem to show any excitement for anything girly.

Take the Night Class for instance. Even though I don't swoon at the sight of Aidou-senpai or Kain-senpai either, anyone would have to admit, having one of them as a boyfriend would be like living in a dream. It seemed that the only one of notable mention in the Day Class was Zero. The 'normal' boys, sort of looked to him as their ray of hope, as they were forced to watch the girls practically pass out at the sight of the vampires. Even the Day Class girls admit that Zero is gorgeous. The only thing stopping him from being crowded over was his 'too cool to be approached' attitude. Anyway, like I was saying, Yori doesn't even come at twilight to see the Night Class. I guess that's just the sort of girl she is. Like she told Aidou-senpai at the ball, _"I prefer someone more normal."_ I smirked at the thought of how she had answered Idol, not having the slightest idea of the true meaning of the word 'normal' to someone like him.

"Yuuki, where are you going?" I heard a faraway voice call. I glanced back and saw Yori a couple of feet away, gazing at me curiously.

Realizing that, engrossed in my train of thought, I had wondered into a dark passage, I stopped myself. Looking back at her, I smiled uncomfortably. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Running ahead to take my place beside my best friend, I tried to look nonchalant as I said, "I guess I tend to do that a lot, huh?" I laughed awkwardly and began to walk again. I could feel her giving me a mystified look from behind me, but it seemed that she decided to say nothing and follow on after me.

Catching the eye of a clothing booth, I hurried towards it and began examining the many shirts and outfits folded neatly and piled atop each other. After tossing through a few articles of clothing, I raised a long, white apron and unfolded it, laying it out in front of me. The edge was decorated with frilly pieces of fair lace and there were small pockets stitched in by the bottom corners. Right across the front, there was an illustration of some spoons, a large metal bowl, and a hand mixer. Below the picture were the words, "I cook best, my style!" I laughed aloud, thinking of how he always changed his recipes to something totally outrageous. Perfect. It seemed to be made just for him.

"This seems good for the chairman, don't you think?" I showed the apron to Yori, and without waiting for her opinion, said, "He loves to cook, so it's perfect!" I handed it to the lady and said excitedly, "I'll take it!" I handed her the amount of Yen according to the price written on the tag and took the bag she had placed it in, thanking her before continuing on our walk. I peeked inside at the apron, grinning broadly. With this, he was sure to want to send me into town even more often!

Suddenly, I heard a slight whimpering sound from below me. I shifted my eyes downward and saw a young, perhaps five-year-old boy, rubbing the back of his palm against his eyes and sniffing unhappily. Feeling sorry for the obviously lost child, I bent down, the sound of the plastic bag I was holding crunching under me, and placed my hand gently onto his shoulder.

"Are you alright? Did you lose your mother?" I asked soothingly. He looked up at me, moving his hand nodded. His eyes, now unobstructed struck me as fascinating. The left eye was a bright, sea blue, while the other was a light, cinnamon color. I knew that such a thing existed, different-colored eyes, but something about it seemed to irk me.

Ignoring the feelings knowing inside me, I asked, "Do you know where she is?" He bobbed his head and looked up at me hopefully, clearly wanting me to take him to his mother.

Pity welled up inside me as I continued to look at the child, wondering how frightened he must've felt. I got up, straightening myself, and looked toward Yori. "I'll take him to his mother. You can go back to the Academy on your own."

She looked at me worriedly, "Are you sure, Yuuki? It's going to get dark out soon." I glanced up toward the brilliant blend of orange and red, and tried my hardest to ignore the ominous feelings rising up from inside me.

Nodding slowly, I said, "That's okay. I'll be fine. We can't leave this boy on his own." I turned on my feet before I had a chance to reconsider or ponder on my fears of being in town alone. Whirling back for a moment, I waved goodbye to my friend, and allowed the boy to lead the way.

As we strode past the center of town, the roads began to get narrow and murky. It seemed to be taking an awfully long time to get to our destination. The sun continued to lower itself as the minutes droned on, doing nothing to calm my fears. As it began to get darker, the memories crept into my mind once again, plaguing me at their full strength.

"_Zero!" I called out, glancing left and right in alarm. How could he do this to me? He knows I hate being in town alone. Seeing as I had no other choice, I began to stride quickly through the streets, looking sideward as I walked, hoping that perhaps Zero was hiding in one of the alleys. Eventually, as my terror rose, my pace began to quicken as well. Now running, I looked through every crevice with no sign of him to be found. _

"_Where are you?" I cried out, knowing that I was probably only speaking to the walls. Unexpectedly, in my haste, my elbow jammed into a rod of broken metal edging out from the dark brick wall. I stopped abruptly and glanced down at my arm which immediately began to drip with blood. Clutching it in pain, I tried to apply pressure onto the bruise so as to stop the blood from staining my sleeve. _

_So absorbed I was in the pain of my injury, I paid no attention to the rustling sound from above me. Concentrating fiercely, I tried my hardest not to wince as I slipped up my sleeve so as to get a direct look at the gash. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad, but enough to make me quite uncomfortable. The noise from over me grew louder and suddenly, a swishing sound was heard and I threw my head upward swiftly. _

_A figure was coming down toward me at an alarming speed. Speedily, I unleashed the Artemis Rod placed against the side of my leg, and threw it over my head in defense. The monster landed onto my weapon and unlocked its mouth to reveal a set of two petruding, threatening fangs. A Level E! Gathering all my strength, I threw it off my rod onto the crimson, brick wall. Within a split second, it leapt off the wall and back at me, landing once again on the Artemis. "You smell delicious!" It cried maliciously. "I want your blood!" Absolutely petrified, my knees melted into butter and my entire body froze. "_A vampire… A scary vampire! It will eat me!"_ The voice that had plagued me for years came back to haunt me, as did the memories of that snowy night. _

_I stared into the bloodlust eyes of the Level E, my fear continuing to escalate. The vampire, seeing my frozen position and my clear sense of fear, prepared to attack. _

"_Don't just stand there, Yuuki," a familiar sound came from behind me. Before I even had a chance to turn back and confirm who it was, I felt my hand thrust forward and plunge the weapon directly into the mad vampire. I could hear the static bolt the rod was sending, in displeasure at being touched by my fellow guardian arm. But he made no move to release it. _

_At Zero's fierce attack, the Level E flew backward a few feet. Quickly, Zero stepped before me and took the hunter weapon from my hand. In one swift movement, he unleashed the blade hidden within the weapons depths and sliced the now advancing vampire in half, shredding it to dust…_

Jolting myself, back to reality, I looked down at the child who was still leading the way, and realized that we had gone into a secluded side of town. I reminded myself firmly that it was just that…a memory. And nothing more.

"Here it is," he turned and looked up at me, smiling thankfully.

I looked up at the building and was surprised to see the entrance to a large, ancient-looking building. The stone material seemed worn and I couldn't help but notice that there didn't seem to be many windows. It seemed strange for a family to live in this building. "Are you sure it's here?" I asked not able to rip my eyes from it in astound curiosity.

The boy nodded and smiled gently at me. "Thank you," he said, standing up on the edge of his toes and landing a soft kiss on my pale cheek. My eyes widened slightly in surprise as I looked down at the boy. Suddenly, everything began to get fuzzy. My body began to sway from side to side and before having the chance to think about what had happened, everything went black.

X X X X X X

My mind was hazy. Strangely, it was difficult to recall the events that had happened to me seemingly just moments ago. My eyes fluttered slightly and slowly opened. I stared up at the freshly-painted ceiling, trying to recollect my thoughts. _Where am I?_ I thought in bewilderment. What just happened? How did I end up here? I twisted over onto my right, and still feeling a bit dizzy, saw a pair of strong legs sitting beside me.

Raising my eyes, I saw a well-dressed man seated on the nearby chair. His clothing was impeccable, the tuxedo neatly ironed and looking brand new. His dark, smooth hair fell messily onto the edge of his shoulders, framing his pale face. His cocoa eyes were gazing onto me, the loneliness which was so familiar to me, more expressive than ever.

"Are you alright, Yuuki?" the familiar voice breathed.

Startled by the source of the voice, I sat up and twisted my head to look directly at the pureblood. "Kaname-senpai!" I said in surprise. He smiled softly, his eyes locking with mine. I stared at him awkwardly, then after a few seconds, ripped my eyes to look into my lap.

"What happened?" I asked, hoping that perhaps he, having brought me here, would know of the events that had led me into this room. "The last thing I knew I was helping a lost boy find his mother." I finally summoned the courage to look back up at him, trying my hardest not to think of the events that had occurred the last time we had spoken.

His pink lips were twisted into a frustrated frown. "The boy must've been a vampire child, who was invited to the Vampire Ball being hosted here tonight. When he kissed you, if he did," he added, "he would've sucked in your vitality, which is the power of vampire children." His lips twitched for a moment, his frown deepening. Suddenly, he looked up at me and gave a sudden smile, though for some odd reason, it seemed to be a tad forced. "You should be more careful, Yuuki."

"Right!" I said immediately. "I'll know for next time." He nodded and continued to stare into my eyes unabashedly. Feeling slightly uncomfortable at his piercing gaze, I ripped my eyes from his and looked around the room, drinking in my surroundings.

The room was extremely large, its wall bare except for a few paintings scattered over the sides. At the far end, some forty feet away, was a small unlit fireplace, which seemed to be completely unused. Compared to the extent of the room's size, the amount of furniture was quite negligible. The couch I was laying on, the chair on which Kaname-senpai was seated, and a rectangular, brown coffee table beside us, were the only fixtures available.

But what caught my attention most was the fact that there were absolutely no windows. The room was completely blocked off from any outside contact except for the wooden door situated at the end of the room. Something about it seemed somehow familiar, though I could not quite place it.

"Weird," I muttered subconsciously, not at all aware that I was speaking aloud.

"What is?" I glanced to the side and saw Kaname-senpai's curious expression. For a moment, I was slightly confused, unaware of what he was talking about. Finally, figuring it out, I broke into a forced laugh. "Oh, nothing. The room just feels a bit familiar that's all." I felt utterly stupid at my comment. Why would this room be familiar anyway? Probably just my imagination.

I glanced toward the Pureblood King, who seemed, strange as it was to me, to be gritting his teeth painfully. His eyes began to glow a bright crimson, a color I had never seen on him before. Could he possibly be lusting for blood? But what had caused it so suddenly? Quickly pushing these thoughts from my mind, I reminded myself the Kaname-senpai was the vampire who had save me ten years ago. He would never attack me.

But those well-known words came back to me tormenting me to no end. _Scary… A vampire… It will eat me! _No! I chided myself. No way! Kaname-senpai would never bite me. He knows what it would do. He'd never do such a thing.

I forced myself to bury my fear and asked in almost a whisper, hoping my fear was so apparent, "Are you okay?" He shut his eyes tightly, seeming to be in tremendous pain. "Kaname-senpai!" My voice rose in panic. I began to get up, intent on finding out what was wrong, but was curtly interrupted.

His eyes suddenly reopened, his face still contorted with intense throbbing. With fierce intensity, he shot up and strode quickly towards the door. "I'll be back," he said briskly. "Don't leave from this room." And without so much as another word, he closed the door behind him, leaving me staring in utter confusion.

What in the world just happened? Why did Kaname-senpai get up and leave so suddenly? Could it be because of the pain he was in? I continued to look intently towards the door, half-expecting him to turn the knob and step back in, making up some excuse for his sudden exit. But the door refused to budge.

Looking around, I once again began to wonder why the room seemed to be so familiar. Why did so many things seem almost like dejavu today? First the child's diversely-colored eyes and now my surroundings in this basement. Something about the fact that it was windowless seemed to strike at my core.

Interrupting my train of thought, I heard the door creak loudly and slowly open. For a second I just stared ahead, wondering who was hiding there. Finally, the vampire child I had brought here stepped cautiously through the door.

"I'm sorry for what happened back there, human sister," his apology surprised me, as did his truly regretful face. Without waiting for even a moment, he stepped back out and shut the door behind him.

"Wait!" I called, quickly standing up and striding towards the entrance. Where had the boy gone? Had he found his mother?

Clutching the doorknob, I contemplated whether to follow the vampire or obey the pureblood. Without too much thought, I chose the former, and at the same time find out where Kaname-senpai had gone.

I stepped into a dark and narrow hallway, shutting the door behind me. Quickly glancing left and right, I tried to figure out where the boy had gone. Catching a quick glimpse of light and hearing slight sounds of people talking, I started cautiously in towards the other end of the hall.

Striding down the hall, I suddenly came in contact with a piece of material blocking my path. It felt similar to a curtain, though I couldn't see very well with the absence of light. Tossing the material to the side, I flinched for a second at the sudden brightness. The hallway continued, but on the left, there was a low wall, overlooking the room down below.

Looking down, it immediately registered in my mind that this must be the vampire banquet Kaname-senpai had mentioned. Crowding the large ballroom, were perhaps hundreds of elegantly-dressed men and women chatting together in a friendly manner. Many of them were surprisingly recognizable to me. Famous actors, actresses, and chairmen were all gathered under one roof, seemingly knowing each other very well. Who knew they were actually vampires? It dawned on me, right then and there, how much power the vampire race truly possessed over humans, without anyone realizing it.

I searched the ballroom quickly, trying to catch sight of Kaname-senpai, or perhaps a familiar face from the Night Class. After all, they were all of noble descent and this seemed to be a lavish ball. After a few searches, I noticed a young, beautiful woman with flowing caramel hair in a satin blue night dress inch over a bit. Right beside her was the familiar face I had been searching for, though completely unexpected. The moonlight-haired hunter was leaning onto a nearby pillar, and looking around irritably. _Zero? What's he doing here?_ I thought curiously. _They surely don't invite former humans to these feasts. _And judging by his disapproving glances, he didn't seem to be there to enjoy the festivities. The Hunter association had most probably sent him to watch over the vampires.

He suddenly turned and looked in my direction. Frightened of being discovered, I lunged down immediately, hiding myself behind the low balcony wall. If Zero ever found out how I had gotten here, he'd never stop berating me for my carelessness in following a strange kid to the other side of town. Not exactly something I needed at the moment.

Coming back to reality, I noted in surprise that the seconds before, commotion-filled room was now deadly silent.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm sorry for interrupting. Please continue to enjoy the feast." Quickly, I got to me feet and peeked carefully over the wall to get a direct glance.

Kaname-senpai was standing importantly at the head of the large crowd. Any signs the previous pain I had seen, were gone, replaced by a slight smile. The large vampire clusters who were previously bowing deeply, now raised their heads at the Pureblood's words. The act highly surprised me. Were Purebloods truly so honored and revered? Sure, I knew that no one in the Night Class dared go against him. But even here, among extremely important-looking vampires, he was held in the highest authority.

Suddenly, a tall, blond man stepped in a neatly-pressed tuxedo stepped up. "It is a great honor that Kaname-sama has agreed to attend my banquet. Thank you." His tone was respectful, fit for speaking to the leader of their race.

Kaname-senpai smiled and said, "Thank you for hosting us, Aidou-dono." My eyebrows arched. Aidou?

"The Aidou Clan has but one request of Kaname-sama." He turned and gestured a young girl similar looking to him. "Tsukiko." She stepped up and smiled shyly and Kaname-senpai.

"Otou-san!" I was barely surprised by now, to notice Aidou-senpai step up from behind the two. "Kaname-sama!" he turned back in fear toward the brunette standing before them. "I do not wish for this!" His father paid him no attention in the slightest.

"It is our clan's wish that you will one day consider Tsukiko." And with those words, he bowed respectfully and stepped back. Immediately, countless vampires came forward simultaneously, each trying to out voice the others.

"My daughter as well, Kaname-sama!"

"It will be a great honor for us…"

"Kaname-sama, for you my daughter will…"

The voice was drained out by the multitudes of others, each edging forward to make their request. I felt a sharp pain arise from inside me. Was Kaname-senpai really that desirable among vampires? Sure, I knew that being of his stature, he would have no shortage of suitable fiancés. But who knew they all desired him as a son-in-law so eagerly. And they barely knew him. They just knew of his high status in the social pyramid.

His popularity got me thinking. I knew I that I loved Kaname-senpai and Zero as well. But the question once again rose to my mind. Why did I reject Kaname-senpai at the White Day Ball if I loved him? If I had even formed a plan to become his lover, even going as far as using Zero for my desires, shouldn't Kaname-senpai be my first preference?

The truth is, the recently-gained knowledge that I was loved Zero, and not as a brother, had done no less than utterly shock me. Did I just gain these new romantic feelings or did they always exist deep within me?

Zero had always been by my side, protecting me from any possible danger. Since the chairman had brought him in, four years ago, blood-soaked and hate-filled, we had been together. No matter what happened, through thick and thin, he had always stayed at my side and I had stayed by his. I knew that much. But there was still the impending question. What of Kaname-senpai? What place did he carry in my heart? Was his place larger or smaller to that of Zero's? Or perhaps equal? I felt my heart ache with the pain and stress my thoughts were giving me. It was indescribably frustrating to be in love with two people at once.

With a jolt back to reality, I noticed Kaname-senpai eyeing me, a pain-expression on his face. Surprised by the unexpected eye contact, I turned on my feet, and swiftly made my way back to the room I had been in.

Closing the door in a hurry, I slipped down and buried my face into my arms. My mind began to race immediately. What should I do? I knew one thing for sure. I would have to make my decision fast before I lost both of them forever. Kaname-senpai or Zero? Zero or Kaname-senpai? Oh! Who should I choose? I sincerely wished for something, _anything_, that would reveal my true feelings and allow me to hasten my decision-making.

The door creaked open, colliding with my crunched-over backbone. "May I come in?" A familiar voice asked softly. Startled, I rose to my feet and edged myself backward, trying fast to think of any reasonable excuse for my actions.

The door opened widely and Kaname-senpai stepped inside, immediately shutting it behind him. He turned to face me, the pained expression that had almost fully vanished at the party downstairs, now back again. He began to walk towards me, his eyes not ripping from mine. The pace of my heart began to quicken, more from my fear of the Pureblood than from the mere fact of him being so close.

He stopped inches away from me, causing me to feel immensely uncomfortable. He leaned in a bit, seeming as if he wanted to encase me into his arms, but stopped abruptly. The surge of guilt threatening to engulf me since the night I had rejected him returned at full force. No doubt the events of the White Day Ball had made him elevate his caution level around me. And I _had _ferociously pushed him away before he had a chance to say the three fateful words that would keep him beside me forever. Any normal person would think more than twice before approaching me again.

Suddenly, to my surprised, he raised me into his long arms and carried me, bridal style, over to the scarlet couch situated in the center of the room. Laying me down, he bent down to a dangerously close distance and whispered, "Why did you leave?"

The fear came back at full force as his eyes began to narrow. Avoiding his gaze, I turned my head to the side and mumbled under my breath. "I wanted to make sure the boy found his mother and…" my voice became almost impossible to hear. "…And… you were in pain and I wanted to see what was wrong"

I heard him sigh deeply and bring his head lower toward me. "Don't worry me like that, Yuuki." He rested his head against my chest, closing his eyes softly.

"K-Kaname-senpai!" I stuttered, all my body heat rushing to the area of my face. What was he doing? Can it be possible that he didn't hate me even after all I had put him through?

After a few moments, he raised his head once again and twisted it, looking directly into my cocoa eyes. His began to glow a crimson, lustful red, similar to the way they had before. "Do you want to be like me, Yuuki? A bloodthirsty beast who craves blood? Do you want to stay by my side forever as a…" he paused dramatically, "As a vampire."

My eyes widened tremendously as he gazed directly at me. I began to shake with fear at the prospect of what he was suggesting. His question hit me like a lightning bolt. Be- become a… vampire? And strangely, a short time ago, the idea of what the Pureblood was suggesting would've thrilled me. It would enable me to stay by Kaname-senpai for eternity.

But somehow, now, the idea didn't seem all that appealing. What of Zero? He had sacrificed his life, himself, refusing to allow Shizuka to transform me into a vampire, even if it might mean his eventual death. How could I just go and turn myself into a vampire on my own and throw away his sacrifice like it meant nothing to me?

Perhaps taking my extended silence as a yes, Kaname-senpai began to inch toward me. Lowering his face until it was centimeters from mine; he paused for a few moments. I could feel his hot breath touch the nape of my neck, causing a shiver to run up my spine. But all that ran through my mind was, that's it. My life as a human is over. I am going to become a vampire. Zero is going to hate me till our dying days. He's going to hate me forever. No! That can't happen! No! No! No!

"NO!" the words escaped unconsciously from my lips. Without meaning to, my eyes shut tightly in fear. Even with my eyes shut, I could feel him the vampire pull himself away from me. Opening my eyes in surprise and slight relief, I saw him gazing upon me, his expression hurtful and sat up swiftly from my lying position.

At that moment, it suddenly hit me. Almost like a bombshell with its tremendous impact. I had chosen. Finally, I had made my choice. Kaname-senpai had offered me a lifetime beside him but I had chosen Zero. I truly did love him with my all my heart. And I knew that I must vocally make my decision. It was now or never.

Gathering all the courage inside me, I took a deep breath and began to speak. My hands were trembling fiercely with the prospect of what I was saying. "I'm sorry!" I closed my eyes and threw my head to face the floor. "I'm sorry! I can't become a vampire. I don't want Zero to hate me. I don't want his sacrifice for seem like nothing in my eyes." With a sigh, I closed my eyes even tighter and all my feelings began to release.

"I never was Zero's girlfriend… On Valentine's Day, I had asked Yori what was the best way to get you to confess was." I tinged at my words but continued to speak. "She told me to pretend to be Zero's girlfriend to get you jealous. It was cruel and evil. And Zero selflessly agreed to it, paying no attention to his own feelings at being used like that. I was horrible!" My voice rose to an almost panicked yell. "I _am_ horrible. But during that time that we had pretended," I couldn't bring myself to say the word, 'lovers', "I began to truly love Zero. He has always been beside me." I paused for a couple of seconds. "Maybe I will never know what I've been wondering for years. Perhaps I'll never know how you are connected to my past. For ten years, I have loved you Kaname-senpai. I… I don't know what caused my feelings for you that existed for so long to diminish, but…"

The words then began to pour from my mouth at full speed. "I'm sorry! I like you. I really do! But my heart belongs to Zero now. He has a special place in my heart that no one can fill. Zero always stood beside me, bearing with my selfishness. Even if he'd leave me, I'll always love him! I'm sorry!"

My cheeks felt wet with tears that had so suddenly appeared in my eyes, I had failed to notice them. Looking up at the pureblood, I saw his emotions more easily read than perhaps it had ever been in the time I knew him. It was filled with unmistakable pain and suffering.

"I am so sorry…"

And I could think of nothing else to say…

X X X X X

**AN**: That was brave of you, Yuuki! I'm glad you realized that you truly love Zero. Finally! Zeki fans out there have been waiting for that moment.

**Yuuki-chan:** Hey, do you enjoy putting me in pain? And what of Kaname-senpai?

**DP1093-chan:** I kind of feel bad for Kaname too. But sorry. Zero rocks his face off! And don't worry! We'll make you and Zero thrilled to pieces next chapter!  
**Yuuk**i: Well, hurry and put out the next chapter so you can put me out of my misery! Don't you want me and Zero together already?

**DP1093:** That's right, loyal readers! Look forward to** next chapter:** **Bloody Kiss!**

**Yuuki**: Aaaah! Bloody? Kiss? With who?

**DP1093: (**rolls eyes) Isn't that obvious?

**Zero:** Yuuki, let's go already. It's almost twilight. Time for me to cream Kuran.

**Yuuki:** (blushes) Zero! Where'd you come from? _Zero drags her off_ _to school gates_. Wait! Zero! I need to tell you something!

**DP1093:** Oooooh! What will she tell Zero? Will Zero return her feelings? Well, we all know the answer to that! Final chap is next! Look forward to it! It's going to be EPIC! Bye! Sorry if that little convo with Yuuki was boring. I just felt like writing it! Buuuuuut…. REVIEW PLEASE!


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